


Under Wraps

by CarnalClown



Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, rape / abuse / mental anguish
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-14
Updated: 2015-07-16
Packaged: 2018-03-30 12:05:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 22
Words: 102,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3936136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CarnalClown/pseuds/CarnalClown
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Raphael discovers that primal instinct has a dark side and Donatello learns that patience and compassion can rectify the worst of damage...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“Fuck! I can’t take this much longer!” Raphael growled and chucked a sai across his room. It struck an old boom box and shattered the speaker before crashing to the floor. He had been pacing around and trying to distract himself for the past two hours, to no avail. Even sparring with his brothers proved to be useless as it did not take away his anxiety. If he didn’t do something soon, he would go insane. He peered down at his bed, sheepishly contemplating doing it the normal way, but that only satisfied him temporarily and there was no way he’d ever find a partner to reciprocate. 

At thirty-four years old, he was way past his teenage antics of jerking off. He so desperately wanted to experience the real deal, but no human would ever consent to that. Not even a close friend. Raph tossed himself into bed and stare up at the ceiling, twirling his other sai as he shut his eyes and pictured his close lady-friend April. He’d only ever seen her in a bathing suit or yoga apparel, which gave him a nice view of her figure. Even when she was pregnant with Casey’s child, he found her attractive. However, he would never bring up such a delicate topic or even suggest sleeping with his best friend’s wife. That would be complicated and April would never go for it anyway. Casey would kill him! Still, he couldn’t help how he felt about females and still found himself wanting companionship, including a one-night stand if he so chose. 

Raph spun around the sai a few more times before dropping it on the nightstand. His thoughts of April caused a stirring in his stomach and he found his hand slowly wandering down to his belt and loincloth. Before he attempted to undo the buckle, he stopped himself and swore up a storm, pissed off and annoyed that he couldn’t have what humans did and resorting to teenage antics made his anger much worse. He pulled himself upright and jammed his sai back into his belt and fetched the other, ripping it out of the boom box. He marched out of his room and into the open living room of the lair where his brothers resided. They were busy. Leo was practicing meditation, trying to reach a place that their father had when he was alive. Michelangelo was busy running around on his Omni, eyes covered by an Oculus rift, and screaming at a video game. Raph couldn’t understand how Mikey could play so much, but at least he got exercise on the Omni and that headgear prevented him from seeing his brothers and bothering them. Donatello wasn’t in the living, but Raph figured he was in the lab as usual. 

Casually, Raph crossed the room, intending to go to the surface, before Leo managed to come out of his trance and stop him. 

“Where you goin’?” Leo asked.

Raph cringed briefly, but kept his composure. “Above…for a run.” 

“Want some company? I haven’t been out the last two nights.”

“No. I’ve been itchin’ to get out and take a walk by myself.” 

Leo frowned, “Suit yourself. Stay out of trouble.”

Raph smirked and pulled the tiny toothpick from his teeth, “I always do, don’t I?” 

The frown on Leo’s face turned into a half smile, “Sure… like last time when you busted a store robbery, nearly had your photo taken, and sent the burglar to the hospital for a fractured pelvis. This time, just stay on the roofs and let the police handle the petty thieves, hm?” 

“Whatever, Splinter-junior…” Raph replied and hastily moved for the ladder. 

Out in the cool night air, Raph always felt free. The rooftops were his territory and he’d be damned to let anyone stop him from enjoying his alone-time above. This was the best distraction he could think of to get his mind in the right direction. As he leapt from building to building, he thought about his brothers and how they always appeared capable of keeping themselves in check. He was most certain that behind the scenes they griped about not having partners or dreamt of taking the plunge one day. It was something they never discussed out in the open except for the time when their father explained the birds and the bees to them as best as he could. Being the only sentient turtles on the planet made it a difficult conversation, not to mention the boys were really uncomfortable and shy to discuss it at the time. The closest anatomically correct being was the human after they were mutated and so the boys had looked at a science book while Splinter explained the nature of human sexuality and reproduction. Raph never said a word that night, avoiding questions, unlike his brother Donatello who looked at it from a scientific point of view. Leo and Mikey were red and occasionally asked a question. It wasn’t to say that the topic didn’t interest him, but he did a pretty good job pretending he didn’t care. 

Deciding to take a breather, Raph stopped on an apartment complex and relaxed against the brick wall. He peered out at the city and watched the lights flicker, the honking of the traffic below, and the chattering of the people below. He was never fond of humans, but had to hand it to them for providing his family with necessities for survival. Some of them were okay…

A good twenty minutes passed and Raph figured it was time to move on. He tightened his do-rag and prepared to jump for the next building until he heard the sound of human cries, one that seemed pained and desperate. He withdrew his sais and prepared to look for the human in trouble. He ran around the roof of the building and determined the cries to be coming from a balcony below. He leapt over the side and landed softly on the cement, just mere inches from the window where the cries erupted. It was important to remain stealthy and judge the situation before rushing in. Decades of impatience and mistakes taught him to retain a more patient fighting style, something Splinter periodically tried to teach but he did not learn until he nearly got himself killed. Oh well, better late than never. He prepared to attack and quickly peered into the window…

There was a sheer curtain shielding him from the view of whoever was in the apartment, but he could clearly see the occupants…and he was immediately stunned. 

There was no attack going, in fact, it was quite the opposite. Raph’s jaw dropped when he saw the lovely visage of a woman’s face in the heat of the moment. She was sitting atop a man, grinding her hips into his and bouncing gently as he penetrated. For a split second, Raph was mesmerized and then backed himself up on the balcony in panic. Luckily the couple could not see him from their angle, but he was shaken none the less. He took a breath and closed his eyes, embarrassed at what he’d just witnessed and quickly replaced his sais in his belt again. He relaxed against the brick wall, deciding that this was clearly not where he should be, but his legs refused to move for some reason. Even though his eyes were closed, he could still hear the woman moan and gasp. Occasionally she would speak about her partner’s attributes, which weirded Raph out, but he really liked how pleasant her voice sounded. Suddenly he felt that odd sensation in his belly again and it was now traveling to his groin. “Fuck…” he muttered.

It was absolutely necessary that he leave before he risked getting caught. The last thing he wanted was his brothers calling him a peeping tom, but the woman’s cries kept him put. Then it couldn’t be helped. Every time she made a noise, Raph pictured himself as the cause of her moans. He saw an image in his head of a girl lying underneath him, scratching at him, digging her nails into his shoulders as she moved from phase to phase of rapture. A symphony of noise pleasured his ears as she would react to every one of his caresses and thrusts. 

Raph was brought back to reality when he heard the woman scream in utmost satisfaction and he quickly looked back into the window and saw her head back, breasts protruding towards the man who was now finishing up inside her. Oh how Raph envied that guy and he watched as the couple cuddled, almost looking as though they were preparing for round two. He was suckling at the woman’s breast and she was raking her nails among his back. Raph couldn’t take watching any longer, feeling like a huge pervert. He ditched the scene when he realized he was getting off on it. 

A safe few miles away, Raph was reeling from what he just witnessed and took it easy in an abandoned warehouse. He was trying so hard to bring his thoughts elsewhere and fight off his painful erection which was begging for his attention. No matter how tempting it was, Raph ignored it. He was stronger than his primal urges! He had to be!

Of course his mind had other ideas and he found himself returning to the imagery of nude women, particularly that one from the apartment. Sometimes he visualized April’s face on that girl’s body and made his internal struggle a pain in the ass. To distract himself, he tried punching a few beams of wood, shattering them, and taking out a few old doors, but it didn’t help. In minutes he found himself sitting up against a wall, touching his length and preparing to masturbate until he released his frustrations. 

“No!” he shouted and let go of his cock. “There’s no fucking way I’m spending the rest of my life a virgin!” He growled as he climbed to his feet and immediately went to the roof of the building to start scouring the area. From the fire escape Raph looked down at the buildings nearby. Humans were filing out and he began studying every single female that exited. Obviously they were all businessmen and women and not likely ones who spent much time in a fighting situation other than a few visits to the gym a week. He looked at all the potentials. 

“Christ, women are so skinny these days,” he sneered at a couple of blonde women who exited a retail establishment. He didn’t like how the media portrayed a “perfect” figure and how these crazy women strive to look like toothpicks. He’d take a full-figured gal any day. He continued to stare at the ladies as they filed out of the buildings to head for home. Some he dug, others he didn’t. After the crowd thinned out, Raph had focused his attention on one woman and he kept pace with her as she moved along the street, occasionally jumping a roof to keep up with her. He really liked her long thick hair, brown with nice auburn highlights. He determined her body type to be thick, judging by how her clothes fit. She carried a large bag, likely for work and she held a planner in her hands. She was staring at it. Probably planning her next day. This woman had a little wiggle in her walk, one that he really liked.

It was around ten by the time the women arrived in a much quieter neighborhood. Raph thought she’d never reach her destination and waited for her to enter her home. She had a nice place. The lawn was well cared for and she had lovely rose bushes lining the trim. It appeared she had no car. So she favored walking. 

Raph climbed down the building and made sure there were no other humans around. At one point he almost lost a visual on the girl, but her super pale skin shone in the moonlight and disappeared again as she entered her house. Raph crept up to a window sill and peered inside, seeing her drop her belongings on a chair before kicking off her shoes. Her coat came off last and she dropped it on top of her bag, so now he could clearly see her figure. That pencil skirt of hers clung tightly to a nice set of hips and her rear was lush. He was practically drooling at the sight and found that his erection had come back stronger than ever. His mind battled with his body about what to do with this predicament. He told himself over and over to just leave, but his limbs disobeyed. As soon as the woman disappeared into another room of her house, Raph slid a sai into the sill and pushed the glass up slowly until he was able to get through. Then he chose to hide himself in a room adjacent to the living room, waiting for the girl to reappear. 

At one point he had to wonder what he was doing there. Why was he doing this? Before more questions were asked, he heard her and slinked back into the darkness as she appeared in the living room, now dressed in a tank top and nylon shorts. She moved towards her kitchen bar and reached for the newspaper sitting on top of the pile of mail. She flipped it open and retrieved a bottle of water from her fridge. Her eyes didn’t leave the page after she sat down on a stool and Raph felt he could make his move. In a flash he threw his sai at the ceiling light, shattering it and darkening the room, startling the girl. She was now off her chair and panicking, crying out questions like “Who’s there?!” 

His eyes were adjusted to the darkness and he amusingly watched as she stumbled around the room until she found the light switches on the wall. Frantically she tried to turn on the light, but it was no use and she then rushed back to the kitchen. Raph quickly leapt from his hiding spot to catch her before she flicked on the kitchen lights and he grabbed her arm. She instantly screamed and his hand flew up to her mouth to silence her. Her legs flailed wildly and she was attempting to dislodge herself from his grasp. He could feel her fingernails digging into his forearms but it was nothing. He almost laughed at her feeble attempt to get free, but instead he commanded her to stop. 

“Enough!” he shouted, scaring her temporarily. The boom of his voice was overwhelming and she was damn near putty in his arms for a moment. Then he felt her starting to shake and figured he’d attempt to ease her fears. “I’m not gonna hurt ya,” he said softly, but it did very little to calm her and she kept shaking, “I just…wanna have sex…”

Even though he didn’t like that he terrified her, his inner self loved every second of this. He kind of liked overpowering this girl, as wrong as it was. But he was true to his word and would not harm her physically. With one arm, he gripped her around the waist and lifted her, bringing her into the kitchen. He told her to retrieve duct tape, which she pulled out of a drawer and under his instruction, she unwound a piece. Raph easily ripped through the tape with a sai. 

Upon seeing the weapon, she struggled a little again, not believing him when he said he wouldn’t hurt her. She attempted to scream but Raph brought his weapon within her sights again and told her to quiet down. Afterwards, he slapped the piece of tape over her mouth. Now that her screams were muffled, he could take both her arms and push her forward. It was a one story house, making it easy to find her bedroom. She tried to make their short walk as hard as possible for him, but he simply picked her up and carried her forward. Once in the room, Raph tossed her on the bed and with the duct tape still in hand, he quickly climbed on top of her before she could escape and taped one of her hands to a bed post. He felt a swift knee to his stomach and then a groan released from her throat. She’d hit his plastron and wound up injuring herself. She’d have a nice black and blue mark for a while and he continued to wrap tape around her foot. Once two of her limbs were secured, her left foot and right hand, he went straight to work on her. 

Her shirt ripped apart easily as he yanked upwards with a sai and he really liked what he saw. A red sports bra. “Very nice, sweetheart,” he commented and reached for the zipper. He wouldn’t dare rip up a garment bearing his favorite color. He tugged the zipper gently, exposing her bare skin to the cool air. In her shame, she squeezed her eyes shut and turned her head, sobbing and sniffling. Raph could see the soft curve of her breasts and while he was shy at first, he touched her skin just below the soft mounds. He swallowed hard before bravely moving his hand upwards, letting his fingers explore and squeeze while he listened to her every sound. She cringed and tried to pull away with every touch. It was obvious she was pleading and for some strange reason, Raph was getting a bit of satisfaction having complete control over the situation. He brushed her loose hand away for the third time and scooted himself down so his face was parallel with her chest and he decided to take the plunge. He dove for her chest, latching onto her breast.

Her hand flew up to his neck and she tried to push him away, but he only grabbed her wrist harshly and pushed it into the sheets. He was crushing her body underneath his, likely outweighing her by over a hundred pounds of pure muscle. Escape was an impossibility and she knew this. 

The girl’s tears fell, trickling down the sides of her face and disappearing into her hairline behind her ears. She looked at her attacker, but could barely see more than his huge silhouette. From what she could make out, he was possibly bald and wearing a mask and a backpack. His strength was overwhelming, not human at all. She was too ashamed to look any further down, because he was thoroughly enjoying her body. His hot tongue was running all over her flesh, making her body quake and betray her. Regardless, she would never allow her feelings to submit to his whims and so she tried to put her mind into a safe place. It wouldn’t last…

She gasped when he suctioned his lips around an areola and tugged gently. It was more of a squelching sound since her mouth was sealed and her sinuses were going crazy due to her tearful plight. Her breathing picked up out of fear and for good reason. 

Raph was reaching for his sai once again, backed up off her, and he buried the metal underneath the fabric of her shorts, catching her undergarments as well and he yanked hard, splitting the material enough so he could remove it easily and toss it aside. As dark as it was in the room, Raph could just make out the juncture of her legs and she was cinching her legs together as best she could, having one tied with tape to a post. 

For the moment, her free arm was flailing around again, to his amusement. She attempted to hide herself by haphazardly covering her chest. With Raph sitting on her legs, there was no chance in hell she could prevent him from accessing the rest of her body. He shifted his position and took hold of her free leg, hooking her knee and pushing it towards her chest, slightly maneuvering it so it was pointing at an angle towards the ceiling. Her nether region was exposed to him, terrifying her. Her hand shot out in an attempt to strike him as he lowered his plastron to the mattress between her legs, but he caught it and intertwined his fingers between hers as best he could with only three digits. He held both her hand and leg tightly before bringing his face down to her skin and breathing in her scent. It was musky and pleasant to his senses. After a few more breaths of the aphrodisiac, he could no longer contain himself and let his tongue slide out. She was wiggling fiercely, but not for long…

His long wet muscle started at the very bottom of her vulva, tickling at first and then he lay the entirety of his tongue’s surface on the whole slit and dragged it upwards. She froze, unsure if it was from sheer terror or extreme desire. Then she felt his tongue again and the heat of his breath for a second time, beginning in the same spot. Only this time, he dragged his tongue partially up and dipped it into her folds, exploring as though he’d never had the opportunity before. She tried to squash her legs together again to make it stop, but his grip refused to humor her. In fact, her movement made it worse as he pushed her leg even farther to the side, opening her legs wider. She was groaning and crying, hoping that he might take pity and end this torment. Instead, she received even more tongue penetration. He was having a power trip on every sound she gave off. 

After a few minutes, Raph started to taste something unusual and realized that her body was finally reacting to his advances, whether she liked it or not. In fact, so was his. Once again, his erection was standing tall and hard, waiting at his beck and call. For now, he would ignore it since he really enjoyed lapping at her. Eventually, she flooded his mouth and the fluid trickled down his jaw and neck. His tongue could only go so far inside and out of curiosity, he wanted to see what it was like inside. Since the girl was no longer thrashing about, he released her leg and wedged it beneath his elbow. Then he pushed a solitary finger inside her and felt along her soft walls. 

“It’s like…velvet. No. Pillows?” he muttered and twisted his digit around some more. The moisture coated his finger and made its reentry so easy. When he withdrew it, a good amount came with. Her leg was moving again and she tried as a last resort to push him away by kicking at his chest. “No go, girly,” he said calmly and recaptured her foot. He released her hand, allowing it to move about while he reached down to his belt and undid the clasp. Once it was apart, he unwrapped it from his body and dropped it and the loincloth aside. Nothing else stood in his way. His cock was screaming at this point and he figured, what the hell? He reared up on his haunches and took hold of her captive leg. He ripped the duct tape with a good yank and hooked both of her legs in his arms while pressing forward until her lower back curled slightly. His member rested on her pubic bone and he was prepping himself until he noticed her face. She was staring up at him, squinting, trying to get an idea about who he was. It was impossible to see her eye color or her full expression, but her silence said more than enough. She wasn’t happy and something told him she was going to make this as hard for him as she possibly could. 

He had no intentions to harm her, like he said earlier, but nothing would stop him from scaring her a little bit. He reached for his belt nearby on the edge of the mattress and pulled a sai out. He brought the weapon up to her face and dragged the cold metal down her cheek while he pulled the piece of tape away from her mouth. “Don’t scream,” he said in an even tone.

Once the tape was removed, she immediately barked out, “Fuck, why are you doing this to me?!”

“I’m not gonna answer that, because even I’m not sure. I know for one thing though, I freed your mouth for a good reason.” He then readjusted his position. 

“What? Why?” she asked, worried that something was going to happen to her jaw. 

“This!” he said quickly and drove his entire length into her hot and soaking wet cunt. 

She cried out in temporary pain, not used to a member of this magnitude. It stretched her so wide…

“I wanted to hear you wail as I entered you for the first time.” He paused for a moment, ignoring her cries as he took in her heat. She surrounded him like a warm silky blanket. She was so slippery as he moved in and out slowly, just to get an idea of how this worked. The moonlight was very minimal, but peeked through her curtains and a splotch of light illuminated the edge of the bed. He wanted to see…

Raph grasped her hips and turned her body towards the light. Then he had it all…

“Oh…wow. So that’s…incredible,” he said, peering down at their joined bodies. His long dark length had been swallowed up by her. Her soft and slick folds hugged him, kissed him, embraced him. When he moved slightly, her petals stretched a little and then scrunched back up when he entered again. He had to know, wanted to see, feel it…

The poor girl didn’t like to be gawked at and she was begging for him to stop, but he was insisting. She dropped her hand down to her genitals, attempting to hide herself, but he took her hand in his.

“Ain’t nothin’ to be ashamed of, sweetheart.” 

“I don’t want this,” she sobbed. 

Raph held onto her hand as he started thrusting. The friction brought him so much pleasure and excitement. He kept his sai in hand in case she decided to make a sudden move, but it was more of a scare tactic really. He could control her with or without the weapon. “Just try to relax. I promised you earlier I wouldn’t hurt you.”

“You think this isn’t hurting me?” she blurted out. He ignored her and continued, much to her dismay, “You’re still holding a weapon to me!” 

That got Raph to stop and he dropped the sai on the floor. “Better?” 

“No! You’re still….UGH!” Her voice was cut off when his hand pushed against her throat. She wasn’t completely cut off, but it was difficult to breathe and she was frightened. Then her attacker leaned forward, pressing his weight on her again and they were face to face, his hot breath on her cheeks. She shook her head back and forth and squeezed her eyes shut.

“Look at me, now,” he commanded and ran his fingers down the side of her face. He entwined them in her hair as he waited for her to obey.  
Afraid that he would be cross, she cracked her lids a little and saw a terrifying image before her. They were so close that his every facial detail was visible. He clearly was not human, as she’d guessed. Was he a demon? She did have some beliefs in the supernatural, so perhaps he was an incubus? She said to herself over and over again to not piss it off, otherwise it may try to kill her. Tomorrow she will wake up and all of this will be gone. Too afraid to move, she waited for his next demand.

There wasn’t one…

Raph then did something he never thought he’d have the chance of doing. He pressed his lips to hers, half expecting her to bite him, but that never came. Her body was still shaking but she was actually reciprocating! Did she figure out that she wasn’t going anywhere and it was just better to give in? Either way, he kind of liked it and pressed for more. Taking full control of the kiss, Raph coaxed her into parting her lips and letting his tongue slide in. 

No longer was he the one to lead every single move. Her hips began meeting his and he picked up the pace. It was only a matter of minutes before he felt that boiling pot of emotions preparing to explode. She appeared to be in the same place, so he continued his thrusts until he felt her shudder and heard her release. Her mouth fell open and she sucked in huge breaths of air. It almost sounded as if she couldn’t get enough oxygen to sustain herself. She ended her high with a feminine groan, one that forced him to finish. Like a normal session of private time at home, Raph felt his rush of cum shoot through his groin and spill into her body. Extremely satisfied for the first time since his initial masturbation as a teenager, Raph fell to the side, tired. 

The girl remained on her back for a moment, trying to take in what just happened. Now would the creature leave? She didn’t know. He was just lying there on her comforter. She looked at the tape surrounding her wrist, cuffing her to the bed and she started to fiddle with it. Eventually she managed to slide her hand from the binding and slowly she swung her feet over the edge of the bed. Perhaps she could make a run for help now that the creature was resting. She carefully pulled herself to her feet and then made a dash for the door. 

She didn’t get far. Raph had her around the waist in a split second. “You’re rambunctious aren’t ya? I suppose a thanks in in order?” he said. “But since ya in a hurry, I think I’ll just take my leave.” Without a second thought, Raph used his fingers and pushed on a pressure point in her neck, causing her to keel over. Once she was in her deep sleep, Raph carried her back over to the bed and lay her back down. He needed to take care of her, clean her, and do a once over of the room to remove any evidence that he’d been there. He removed all traces of tape on her bedposts and her body. Her washed her down with a clown he’d taken from her closet, particularly around her genitals and thighs. Her shredded clothes on the floor would go with him and he redressed her in an outfit similar to what she was wearing when she was preparing for bed. All of his gear was back in its rightful place on his body and he took a plastic bag to stuff her ripped garments in. A wipe down of the surfaces in the house he’d touched and a quick check on the girl later, he exited the same way he entered and made sure everything was left exact. A couple of blocks away, he disposed of the clothing and cloth in a dumpster and took off for home. 

It was nearing 1 a.m. He was tired, but feeling satisfied, though his mind held a bit of guilt. He just forced himself on a human. He wasn’t fond of them, but he had no right to do what he just did and had he been human himself, he probably would have turned himself over to the police. The guilt alone would likely eat him alive, but he was considering talking to Leo about the incident. What would his older brother do? Sure as hell would not send him to a police station. He could see being punished for a year in the hashi. Ugh…how he dreaded that. Splinter used to make them all do that! 

Raph found the nearest manhole cover and pulled back the lid. Maybe he should talk to Don first? As the second eldest brother, Don was a bit more level headed and would probably refrain from kicking the shit out of him right away, not that he didn’t deserve it. 

The walk back to the lair was long it seemed. He trudged through the sewage, shoulders slumped and his head hanging. “Oh fuck, what’ve I done?” There was no way he could face his brothers again if they found out, so he decided to keep this hidden from them.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A mistake has been made...

The following morning she awakened to a sun-filled room, dressed, hair mussed, and everything was just perfect. It just seemed to be too perfect. She pushed down her comforter and rolled off the bed to get ready to take a shower. She pulled off her shirt and unzipped her sport bra before wandering around the house half naked to fetch a clean towel from the linen closet. Strangely, she felt refreshed, like she’d already cleaned up this morning. 

Once in her bathroom, she ran the taps and turned on the shower head, letting it heat up. Then she slipped out of her shorts and panties before draping her fresh towel on the rack. Steam slowly filled up the room while she brushed her teeth and ran a brush through her locks. Satisfied with her gleaming teeth, she put her toothbrush down and prepared to hop in the tub, but her attention was caught by something trickling down her leg. She propped up her foot on the toilet and peered down at her thighs. An opaque fluid was leaking out of her body. She touched it and brought it up to her nose, sniffing the foreign liquid. It didn’t smell bad or particularly pleasant and suddenly she suffered a flashback…

In a heartbeat she jumped in the shower and scrubbed herself from head to toe twice, washed her hair, and shaved every inch of her skin it seemed. If what she thought happened, had happened, then she wanted every trace of the demon off her. It was impossible not to cry, so she sobbed her heart out, believing that a monster was targeting her. But who could she go to for help? She’d be the laughing stock of New York! After shutting off the taps, she wrung out her hair and wrapped herself in her towel and rushed into her living room where she left her purse on the chair. She rummaged through it until she found her cellphone and dialed a friend that she could trust. Unfortunately, she went straight to voicemail. She chose her words carefully and began leaving a message to her friend, “Cassie? It’s Bethany…um, please call me back right away. I have to talk to you about s-something. Just please don’t say anything to anyone else. This needs to be a secret, okay?” 

_______________________________________________________

 

Raphael took it very easy the following morning and did not participate in sparring, which confused his brothers. It was rare, unless he was sick, that he refused to spar. Mikey was knocking on his door constantly, trying to engage him, but Raph refused. He just wanted to be alone for a while.

Eventually, Leo insisted that Raph sit through a physical with Donatello. At first Raph refused, but then all three of his brothers ganged up on him and pushed him into the lab where Don started tests. Raph complained and bitched as Don attempted to take his temperature.

“C’mon Raph, it’s not going to kill you,” Don chuckled. 

“I ain’t sick! I’m tellin’ ya!” Raph barked.

“Well you tend to be proud when it comes to being ill, so Leo says suck it up. Either put this in your mouth or else.” Don threatened.

Raph shouted in his brother’s face before laying down on the table, “Fuck off!” 

Annoyed, Don planted his hands on his hips. “Raph, we can do this one way or the other.” When he received only a groan from his brother, Don shrugged and stepped around the back of the table and laid a hand on Raph’s thigh in an attempt to move it. 

Slightly panicked, Raph sat up, “Keep that thing away from my ass! Fine! Here…” He ripped the thermometer out of Don’s hand and put it in his mouth. It was probably better if he humored his brothers this way before they get suspicious. He sat there while Don continued taking vitals. 

“Geez Raph, if your arms get any bigger, I’m going to have to build a new cuff for this.” Donnie was having a hard time getting a proper reading with the blood pressure monitor. “You start lifting vehicles or something?”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Raph replied, a smirk gracing his features. “Maybe you should take a couple workouts with me, build up those scrawny arms, bro.” 

“I am currently within my desired muscle mass, thanks.” 

“Ya kidding me? I can fit one hand around your bicep, fingers touchin’ and shit.” 

“I’m not looking to be a meathead. I’ll leave that to you.” 

Raph could only laugh, “Yep, you’ll always be a lanky nerd.” 

Don took the cuff off and ordered Raph to stand. “Just another quick test and a few questions. You went out last last night, did you get hit in the head by someone?”

“No.” Raph slid off the table and stood up while Don produced a stethoscope and placed it above Raph’s plastron. It was hard to hear his lungs, but just above the chest plate and the side where the most skin was exposed was the easiest. 

“Deep breath,” Don said and listened while his brother sucked in a lungful. When everything was finished, he patted Raph on the shoulder. “You were right, not sick. I’m thinking this is psychological.”

“You ain’t plannin’ on cutting open my head next are ya?” 

“That thought has crossed my mind in the past,” Don teased and dropped the stethoscope on the table. “So what’s bothering you? You’re not sick. You skipped sparring. You’re verbally insisting you aren’t sick, which is a clear indication that-

“Stop! I said earlier there ain’t nothing wrong!” Raph interrupted.

“And you’re getting defensive. C’mon Raph, I can read your body language and you’re argumentative. If it’s something serious, I can keep it in confidence from the others.”

Before Don could get Raph to spill it, the angry turtle already exited the lab, pissed and ready to break something. Don gathered up his medical equipment and put it back on the shelf by the first aid kit before leaving the lab himself. Leo was out in the living room, awaiting the verdict. Mikey wasn’t really paying much attention, but turned down the volume on his computer game so he could listen in. 

“Raph’s in perfect health. It’s gotta be psychological. Something’s really bothering him. I tried to get him to talk to me, but maybe I’m just the wrong person. The last time Raph was seriously anti-social like this was Splinter’s passing, so I can’t see why he’s acting this way now.” Don took a seat on the couch. 

Leo nodded. “Maybe he’ll talk to me.”

“You can try, but your track record with him is pretty sketchy.”

“True, but he always refers to me as Splinter-junior. Maybe I can reach him the same way dad did if I choose my words carefully.” 

“Give it a shot, bro,” Mikey interjected, briefly pausing from playing to encourage his brother, “And if you fail, I can try next!” 

Leo gave a half smile, amused and nearly face-palmed himself. Raph would probably bury Mikey before he managed to get the hot head to answer anything. “Huh…okay then. So did Raph leave?” 

“Went to his room,” Mikey said before returning to Prop Hunt and cursing that he got killed by a hunter. 

It would probably be a difficult conversation, but Leo figured giving Raph a bit of space for now was best and he would approach him later when he calmed down some. So he waited until the evening to confront him. 

Raph was ready to depart for a walk again, likely to clear his head when Leo approached him, “I’m going with you tonight.” He refused to let Raph say no and shot down every single one of his complaints. The stubborn turtle eventually caved and Leo was now hopping rooftop to rooftop, watching his brother’s every move. They went a few miles, occasionally stopping to look at the sights and listen to the humans chattering below, before finally parking themselves on top of a factory. Leo leaned up against one of the smokestacks while Raph stood a few paces ahead of him, both were staring up at the clear sky. 

Raph had contemplated all day. He told himself last night that he would never tell a soul about the girl, but his emotionally reckless nature would never allow him to do that and the longer he kept it in, the harder it would be to keep it concealed. He looked for the north star. It was his favorite, as was Splinter’s. On the nights where the four of them traveled together, they would always stop to admire it in honor of their father. When they were kids, Splinter used to point out the constellations as best he could through sewer drains and tell them stories. 

It must have been ten minutes of silence. Leo knew exactly what Raph was looking at. It couldn’t be helped. Leo also loved looking up at the stars, but he knew he needed to get down to business and find out what was going on. However, before he could fire off a question, Raph offered to spar.

“Sorry I missed practice this morning. Wanna give it a go now?” Raph asked, ripping his weapons out of his belt.

Leo didn’t respond immediately, but thought about trying another method. If he sparred with Raph now, there might be an altercation or Raph would be too fired up to converse. “Not right now.”

“Huh? Serious?” Raph questioned. He was stunned since Leo always met his challenges. 

“Yeah. Figured you wanted a break today, so I’m giving it to you. I just wanted to get out of the lair tonight. You know, fresh air and a bit of company I guess.” Leo knew it wasn’t exactly the truth, but it did make Raph put away his sais. 

“Not like ya.” 

“This morning you weren’t like you either. Maybe we’re both just having an off day.” 

“Yeah, I guess.” Raph rolled his eyes. He knew Leo had joined him tonight for a reason. Perhaps now was as good a time as ever. But how could he begin? 

Leo then continued, “You know, dad was always one to hear out our every problem. I remember when I had my fear of heights. I was too terrified to tell him for the longest time because I thought he’d see me as weak, but the day he found out on his own, he started training me and climbing tall objects until my fear was non-existent. I spent months overcoming my fear and after that, I always told dad everything I was afraid of. It wasn’t until he died that I realized how terrified I was of leading the family without him. I always had him for guidance and now I have to look to myself. He was our first leader and now I can understand the pressure he had gone through to watch us and care for us. He suffered most when we were hurt or confused about our hidden lives. And now I’m wondering, before we get to a point where I’m worried for your mental health, are you willing to tell me what’s bothering you? I’m very patient. If it needs to wait another few days then-

“No…it can’t…” Raph muttered under his breath. 

“What?” Leo asked, intent on hearing clearly this time.

“It can’t wait,” Raph repeated and squeezed his eyes shut. 

Overly concerned, Leo padded across the roof, now standing by his brother and placing a hand on Raph’s shoulder. “Take your time.” 

It was eating Raph up inside and he could feel his emotions now running rampant. Leo was going to kill him, but if he didn’t say it, his conscience would do worse to him mentally and at least his body would heal from the beating he surely about to receive. Stress was rising and his heart-rate was flying. 

Leo could feel his brother’s body start shaking, as though he were about to suffer a serious panic attack or go into hyperventilation. “Maybe you should sit.” 

“No, Leo…I did s-something…awful…” Raph stammered. 

“You gotta get it off your chest before you pass out.” Leo was literally watching his brother pale before him. “Raph?” 

“I, I just…Leo,”

“Calm down, one word at a time,” Leo encouraged gently.

All the bitter emotions Raph suffered suddenly burst through the surface and he finally admitted, “Leo, last night…I raped a girl.”

The admission hit Leo like a ton of bricks and at first he refused to believe it. “Raph? What do you mean? Are you saying…”

“Exactly what you’re thinking! You have no idea how much I wanted to kill myself this morning!” 

Leo let go of his brother’s shoulder and walked out in shock and disbelief, “Raph…y-you raped someone?! What? Why?! Is she all right?!” He was pacing and throwing his hands up in the air, “Fuck! Fuck!”

Raph flinched several times when Leo cursed. It was extremely rare to hear those words roll off Leo’s tongue. He stood there, looking like a fool and deservingly so. But getting the truth out gave him some relief, at least temporarily. He watched as Leo walked in circles, trying to take in the news, but the fearless leader was struggling with the revelation. Raph closed his eyes again in shame. He disappointed himself and now his brother. He was only glad Splinter wasn’t alive to see how far he’d sunk. “Leo…I’m s-sorr- UGH!” 

A very hard strike to Raph’s cheek sent him flying. 

Leo was livid and he threw such a heavy punch to his brother’s face, that Raph crashed into the smokestack, breaking away several chunks of brick and mortar. Then the angry turtle slowly approached, admonishing his younger brother, “You’re banned from going to the surface. I cannot believe you stooped to the level of a common thug. I’m so ashamed of you.”

Raph could feel blood trickling out of his mouth and nose and he even spit out a tooth. Leo has never struck him so hard before and if it were in any other situation, Raph would have drawn his weapons and fought back. This time, he just couldn’t, having accepted the consequences of his actions. “Leo, please…I know what I did was wrong!” 

“You got that right! But Raph! Do you understand how serious this is? For her? She’s the one who’s going to suffer the most! Women are very sensitive and it only takes one incident to fuck them up for life!” He sucked in a deep breath and exhaled quickly. “You do also realize you may have seriously exposed us, right? Did she see you?”

“Uh…” 

Leo smacked his forehead, “She saw you.” 

“Pressure point to the neck, I doubt she’ll remember anything!” Raph cried. 

“Fat chance. Women remember things like this. We have a serious, serious problem now.” Leo growled and he stomped across the roof until he was by Raph’s side and bent down. He ripped the said from Raph’s belt, “An honorable warrior once carried these. You’re no longer worthy.” He then stuffed the weapons in his own belt. “C’mon, we’re going home to discuss your future and we’re telling Mikey and Don because they have the right to know. Say your goodbyes to the city, because I’m grounding you permanently!” Leo then waited for Raph to get up, without extending any assistance. He remained glued to his brother’s side as they traveled back to the lair. No words were exchanged. 

Raph felt severely guilty and couldn’t bring himself to disagree with the punishment. He deserved it and more. He only wished he could take back what he’d done. His stomach was in so many knots when they reached the sewers and every stride he took towards home grew heavy under his burden. Once they set foot through the entrance, Mikey was all over them, asking questions, particularly about Raph’s swollen face. 

Leo took the lead and immediately sent Raph upstairs, much to Donatello’s concern since he wanted to treat Raph’s wounds. After the broken turtle disappeared, Mikey cornered Leo.

“Dude, what gives? Raph needs lookin’ after!”

“Trust me, he doesn’t. Guys, go to the lab, we have some chatting to do,” Leo said firmly and he led the way to the lab, brothers in tow. 

Don and Mikey looked at each other, each somewhat nervous and Mikey blurted out, “So…how did Raph get injured?” 

______________________________________________________

It seemed like hours before Leo came knocking on Raph’s door and Raph gave the okay for his brother to enter. “It’s open.” 

Leo set foot inside, still looking pretty stern. “The guys are well aware now. You can come downstairs. We still have a lot to talk about. Let’s go.” 

Raph eyed his weapons at Leo’s waist, feeling pretty low about losing them. He wouldn’t dare attempt to take them back and so he got up off his bed and followed his brother back downstairs. Don and Mikey were both still in the lab, looking pretty glum. Michelangelo was so shocked that he couldn’t say anything, nor look his brother in the eye. He plopped himself down on a chair so he didn’t have to see Raph’s face at his level. Don didn’t have an issue with making eye contact, in fact he approached Raph, his anger slowly welling up and he balled a fist. 

Raph didn’t see it coming, the hard strike to his gut. Don was usually pretty level-headed, but he clearly was overwhelmed with emotion and even spouted out his frustration, “You fucking scumbag…” The hit caused Raph to double over. It was surprising, a hit from Don was rarely ever this powerful. Still, he took it like a man and didn’t throw any punches back, but he did take a seat on the medical table and waited for Mikey to take a shot at him. 

It never happened. Mikey was far too hurt to even strike his brother and Raph felt even worse about himself. All eyes were on him, as though they were expecting him to give some sort of speech, but Leo began the conversation. 

“So, the guys agree. Raph, your punishment starts now, however they did disagree with me about keeping you grounded permanently. But, we decided that you need to complete a serious act of honor in order to earn back your respect and to get your weapons. A simple apology won’t do, so only time will tell.”

In twenty-four hours, it was the first bit of relief Raph’s had, but proving himself was going to be hard. What could he possibly do to make up for such a painful sin? He sighed, “I’m sorry, guys. Uh, for putting ya in this situation. I’ll do my best to make up for it, even if it kills me.” 

Since Raph wasn’t screaming or shouting like normal, Leo could tell he was being sincere and finally allowed Don to treat the cuts and bruises on his face. All four of them stayed in the lab while Raph’s mouth was cleaned out and disinfected. He was given an ice pack for his eye and cheek and Don immediately fired off more questions, without any regard for his comfort.

“Did you injure her at all? Cuts, scratches, bites, bruising?” 

Raph shook his head, “No, I took it easy. No injuries.” 

“Was she a virgin?” 

That was a shocking question. Raph hesitated to answer.

“Was she?” Don repeated. 

“Pretty sure she wasn’t,” Raph replied sheepishly. He was so glad his face was swollen, it saved him a red sheen. He awaited the next probing question.

“Did you get rid of every trace of your presence? Fingerprints? What about anything she had on?”

“Wiped down the house, tossed her clothes several blocks away, cleaned her up, and put her to bed in a similar outfit. Should look like a dream when she wakes up.” Raph let out a groan. 

Don’s eyebrow rose, “You say you cleaned her? Every inch?” 

Raph nodded, “Every inch.” He saw how suspicious Don looked, “What?”

“Let me ask you one more thing of dire importance. How to put this lightly…did you ejaculate inside her?” 

Even Leo had a bright shade of red spreading across his cheeks and Mikey was so embarrassed that he tried to occupy himself by tinkering with a gadget laying out on a desk. But Donnie; he was calm, free of any blushing, and completely serious. 

Raph swallowed hard, “I…uh…” He paused. There’s no way he could answer this in front of them all.

“C’mon Raph, answer yes or no,” Don demanded. 

“All right! Fine…yeah. I did.” 

All of his brothers groaned, especially Leo. Don just sighed and dragged his fingers down his face. “That was a brilliant move.” The statement was heavy with sarcasm. “Leo we have an even bigger problem now. Raph, did you even consider the consequences?” 

“We’re two different species, not like I can knock her up!” Raph growled. 

“That’s not the problem! Now she has dna evidence of our existence! All she has to do is go to a police station or a hospital and they will use a rape kit on her! Once the doctors find out the dna isn’t human, there’s going to be a manhunt for unidentified creatures! The theory of alien will come to fruition, that’s for sure!” He turned towards Leo, “We gotta find her and bring her here before she goes to see a doctor, if she hasn’t already. I need to flush her out!” 

Mikey jumped to his feet, “How do we find her?”

Don cleared his throat, “Only one who knows where she lives is Raph.” 

Leo didn’t want to take Raph out of the lair, but he had no choice since Raph didn’t have the address. They needed to find the girl immediately and remove all traces of their existence from her body. “Fine. Let’s move now. We gotta get her fast though.” He placed a hand on Raph’s shoulder and squeezed, “You’re to stay by my side until we reach her house. Otherwise, expect a beating from all three of us later.”

__________________________________________________________

Bethany curled up in her blanket. She never received her call back from Cassie, as to be expected. Cassie was out on her vacation in Pennsylvania. So she must have been very busy. For now, Bethany brought her blanket around her body even tighter and hunched down on her couch, hoping that there would not be a repeat of last night. Do demons attack the same humans? She had no clue. Her television flickered as the heavy winds continued to blow. They were expecting a huge storm tonight in New York. Luckily it was a Saturday, so she didn’t have to worry about walking to work in the morning, but she dreaded being home alone right now. That demon, whether it was real or not was horrible and she wasn’t sure she would be able to sleep tonight, worried it will reappear. 

She had tea heating up in the microwave, one with lots of caffeine to keep her up. When it was ready, she quickly fetched it and crashed back on the couch to continue her tv marathon of Big Bang Theory. It was all reruns, but whatever. She loved it and it forced her to focus on something else. A few episodes in, she started to notice the lights in the house would flicker more often and eventually it affected her tv. She kept her phone close just in case she needed a flashlight, but she prayed that the power would stay on. 

Then the rain came crashing down and she heard sheets of water sliding down the roof. She groaned when the power seriously flickered, then a lightning bolt and some thunder rumbled through the sky. 

And then, the power shut off. Bethany was sitting in total darkness with her blanket clinging to her body and her phone in hand with the flashlight going. She was terrified, not of the rain, but whatever could be lurking in the dark. She felt so childish for feeling that way and remained glued to her couch, listening to every sound that rang in the dark. It was mostly rain and thunder. She felt okay, knowing that it was all storm and no creature. 

That net of safety dissipated when she heard a small item fall in another room of her house. It scared her and she jumped out of her place on the couch, turning in the direction of the noise. Only the flashes of lightning and her phone provided her with a visual of the living room. Bethany called upon her courage and slowly made her way towards the noise. She shut off her phone and used the dim storm lighting to guide her through the house until she reached the sitting room. There wasn’t anything there from what she could tell and she quickly turned on her phone again and sent the light in every direction of the room. She spotted the source of the noise. One of her ceramic frogs fell to the floor and cracked. “Awe…my frog,” she whined and crossed the room to pick it up. Luckily the frog itself did not crack, only the pedestal so it wasn’t too noticeable when she put it back on the coffee table. “How did you fall anyways?” she muttered.

Just as she finishing replacing her frog, she heard something behind her and quickly spun around only to see nothing. Then her panic returned and she rushed out of the room and into her kitchen. The lights flickered once as she made it to the kitchen and she halted as she saw the outline of a being standing in front of the sink. She screamed at the top of her lungs and tripped over her own feet before crashing to the floor, phone sliding across the floor. She was frozen in place as the creature quickly moved towards her, but her voice worked perfectly fine.

“No! Please! Not again!” she cried and found her movement again. She scrambled backwards over her phone, which she reclaimed and quickly got on her feet. She raced through the house towards the back door, while the creature called out for her to stop and promises of not hurting her, which she called bullshit on. As she ran, she was dialing 911 and prepared to hit ‘send’ when another figure jumped out in front of her, frightening her again. Again she found herself on the floor, this time phone in hand and she nearly pushed the button when the figure from the kitchen grabbed her wrist and shook the cell out of her grip. The figure before her picked it up and pocketed it in pouch on his waist. She was overwhelmed with fear. There were two of them this time. “Why? Why me?!” she screeched. 

Then one of the demons responded.

“Just take it easy. I promise, we’re not here to harm you.”   
“That’s what the demon from last night said! Right before he raped me!” 

There was a moment of silence before the taller demon said, “Well that confirms it. She’s the correct woman.” 

She felt a hand drop on her shoulder and cringed, expecting the demon to forcefully pick her up and repeat last night’s events. But his grip was gentle, not like the bad demon she already met. He also had a very sincere tone of voice.

“Please just let us explain. Last night was awful, I know, but we’re not here to torment you. We just wanna talk for now.”

“Who are you…” she asked, voice nearly a whisper. 

“You can call me Leonardo, or Leo, whatever. This is my brother in front of you, Donatello. We’re not demons. Once the lights turn back on, you’ll get a chance to see us properly.”

Bethany’s eyes focused really hard on the creatures, but it was too dark to see their features. Only a few minutes passed before the kitchen light flickered and then she saw them for a split second. She barely remembered what the first creature looked like last night, but now her flashbacks of him became more clear and she started to tremble. 

Donatello attempted to take her hand to try and calm her, but she pulled away in an attempt to escape the situation. She was losing her voice as her body moved into convulsions. Don grew more eager to help and he tried to lay her back, but she started to thrash and kick. “We gotta put her out before she hurts herself.”

Leo agreed and he quickly took hold of the girl’s head, gently but firm and he pushed the same pressure point in her neck that Raph had used the previous night and she was out cold in seconds. Donnie gathered her up in a blanket and draped a raincoat from her closet over her while Leo put a pair of sneakers on her feet. Then they figured they’d take her purse with them so they could lock up her home. Then they both exited the home through the back door rather than the window they entered and joined Mikey and Raph in the back yard. The two youngest brothers were soaked from the rains and Mikey complained like crazy about it. 

“I wanna get home already, I’m freezing!” Mikey whined. 

Before they took another step, Leo removed the cell phone from Don’s pouch and shined the flashlight on the girl. “This is her, right?” 

Raph peered down at the sleeping woman, “Yeah.” 

“Good, let’s get going. Don, Mike, get a head start. Raph and I will follow in a few minutes. See you at home,” Leo said. He then waited for them to disappear into the night before focusing on Raph. “You know how terrified she was the moment she saw us?”

“That’s the reaction we get from everyone,” Raph replied.

“No. Not like hers. I had to put her out because she would have sent herself into a full-blown anxiety attack or worse. Other people usually faint for a few minutes or think they’re delusional. Raph, you seriously altered her well-being.” 

“I don’t know how to fix this, Leo! You said it yourself! Sorry isn’t good enough, so what can I do?”

“I don’t know, but it’s not my problem. Right now the girl needs some serious therapy and I’m hoping Donnie can get her to come around and maybe, just maybe she can overcome this. Maybe, forgive you? I don’t know…she’s pretty traumatized.” He looked out into the distance. “I think they got enough of a start, let’s move. Oh, we’re keeping her in Don’s lab, so you aren’t allowed to be in there unless one of us is in there with you, unless she becomes hysterical, then you are to stay out completely. The rest of us have to figure out a way to be around her without terrifying her more. Until we have that trust, just keep away.” Leo then took off with Raph taking off shortly after.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Donnie's questionnaire...

Bethany rolled her head to the side and started coughing violently. Some horrid smell filled her nostrils and it couldn’t be helped that she’d probably pass a lung through her throat. Her sputters and choking attracted the attention of Donatello, who was sitting in the other end of the lab. He rushed around piles of equipment and to her bedside. She was coughing and completely delirious, but she managed to mutter a few words under her breath. 

“Smell…ugh, cold…” 

Don quickly crouched to search underneath the bed. He pulled open the drawer beneath and ripped out a heavier blanket and draped it over his patient. Since she was still out of it, he could continue monitoring her without incident. He touched her forehead, which was boiling. Being out in that rain last night and the amount of stress on her took its toll. Plus she was in a sewer, which did not smell very nice. He laid a hand on her shoulder. She was shivering pretty badly and he decided he would have to give her a dose of medicine to bring down that fever. He had ibuprofen in a liquid form that needed to be administered intravenously. There had been times where he raided hospitals for medicines. He wasn’t fond of stealing them, but there were incidents where he had no choice. He quickly prepped a sterile needle and went bedside again. Her arms were tied down just in case she thrashed about again and he pierced her forearm, quickly sending the medicine into her body. 

Afterwards, he disposed of the needle and kept watch over her until she was out again. He felt safe enough to let her alone again and returned to his desk to keep working on his project. For now, he’d done nothing to the girl, including flushing her. He wanted to speak to her before he did anything that could make her feel violated and he was very patient. 

There was a knock on the lab door.

“Come in,” Don said. 

Leo and Mikey both entered, each curious to know how their guest was fairing. They cautiously approached her bedside and Mikey instantly commented on her pretty hair. He touched a few strands, but his hand was wrestled away by Leo. 

“Leave her alone for now. When she comes to, she’s going to panic again. We need to make her as comfortable as possible. Don, I think we’re safe to remove the restraints.” He chuckled when Don gave him a confused look. “Don’t worry, if she tries to run, we can catch her easily. I just don’t want her waking up with a bunch of leather straps around her. It makes our offer of friendship look bad.” He then took to removing the straps from her arms while Mikey worked on her ankles. 

Don wasn’t too fond of the idea just yet, but figured it was for the best. “She’s also pretty sick. I gave her some meds to take down that fever. I mixed a sleeping draught with it, so she’ll be pretty groggy for a few hours after waking. Anyways, I’m almost done prepping and sanitizing my equipment. I hope to have the procedure down tomorrow morning.” 

Leo and mikey finished up and paced around the table, studying her. 

“How messed up is her mind?” Mikey asked.

“Probably bad. Not too many women forget going through…well…” Don didn’t finish the sentence. “So, have either of you talked to Raph since we got home?” 

“I tried to,” Mikey said, “But I’m really struggling to accept what he did.”

“Don’t try to accept it. He knows it was wrong, so do you. It’s not something anyone should ever accept. Only this girl can decide if Raph deserves a second chance. By the way, did anyone catch her name?” 

“Bethany Frasier,” Don said.

“Woah, you psychic?” Mikey asked. 

Don then produced her purse and dropped it on the desk. He opened the little red bag and pulled out the cream colored wallet, “Bethany Frasier, twenty-nine years old, blue eyes, 152 pounds, height is five-foot-seven, caucasian, driver license expires in 2048. Other stuff in her bag tells me a lot about her activities, so I’m thinking she’ll be able to handle some testing.” 

“Really? What kind of stuff?” Mikey asked, excited to find out more. 

“Give her some space. Let her tell us when she’s ready,” Don replied. “I need to make sure there’s no mutagen in her blood after getting her cleaned up. That’s a test that’s probably going to hurt her because the needle is huge. But it has to be done. There’s a good chance that Raph’s semen tainted her.” 

“You sure?” Leo asked. 

“Oh yes. It didn’t really cross my mind until maybe an hour ago. If there’s still remnants in her body, then I have no idea how she will react to the agent physically. If its negative, then there’s a chance she’ll have to leave her entire life behind and go into hiding. If there’s nothing in her blood, then I can just flush her out as originally planned and we can try to make peace with her and send her on her way.” Donnie appeared somewhat excited. The prospect of a hybrid mutant-human was very interesting, but he did not want to jump to conclusions. “When she wakes up, who’s going to talk to her? Maybe I should?”

“No. I’ll do it. I’m the oldest and should be the one to take responsibility. Raph was my responsibility and I didn’t keep watch over him like Splinter wanted, so I need to smooth things over for now,” Leo explained. “Anyways, she’s probably going to be hungry when she wakes up. Mikey, why don’t you whip something up? She should come around in another hour or so. No weird menus!” 

“Awe! But she’ll love my peanut butter-banana pizza!” Mikey complained. 

Don quickly put the idea out of mikey’s head, “No pizza! Something bland. She’s probably not going to want anything spicy or rich until her symptoms clear up. Try oatmeal or toast and tea with a piece of fruit. Nothing acidic.” 

“Bro, you are so boring!” Mikey then slinked out of the lab, leaving his brothers to watch over Bethany. 

________________________________________

Raph was settled in his room again. He felt like a child who’s been grounded one too many times! How long did Leo intend to keep him cooped up? Without his weapons to practice or mess around with, he was truly bored. He only had so many magazines to read and there was nothing on the television. The most he could do was lay down and hope one of his brothers would let him come out. But he was going crazy! “Ugh! This is horse shit! I’m gettin’ the fuck out!” At thirty-four, he should be capable of making his own decisions and he quickly bust open his bedroom door and marched his way downstairs and to the dojo to practice. He didn’t give two shits what Leo thought. 

He wandered across the tatami mats and centered himself in the middle of the room. He needed to think and possibly beat a wooden post to a pulp. It was so strange to reach for his weapons and not find them at his waist and so he approached the weapons wall and pulled down a simple wooden staff. If Leo was going to refuse him the sais gifted to him by Splinter, then he was going to make up for it by mastering another weapon, Donnie’s and then maybe he’ll give nunchucks a shot. Splinter always said to train in every weapon form. He then replicated Don’s stance and started katas. 

On the other side of the lair, Leo and Don were still chatting about the future of Bethany and how they were going to convince her to stay silent about them. Her vitals were stable and Don was busy wiping down her forehead. She was actually sweating now and they had removed the extra blanket n favor of a light sheet. Other than that, her temperature was pretty much under control and she was resting peacefully. 

“She’ll be waking up any time now, so we gotta figure out how we’re gonna handle her,” Don said. 

“Maybe only one of us should be in the room?” Leo offered.

“Yeah, I’ll volunteer for this one. I have a good and professional bedside manner and she may relax easier knowing that a “doctor” is helping her.” Don sat down on his chair, kicking his feet up on the desk. “We just gotta be patient now.” 

Leo agreed. Don was the best person to leave with Bethany, but he still had his concerns. “Don, if she says no to the tests and the clean out, that’s going to be another big problem. We may never be able to let her leave.”

Don began chewing on a pen, “Well, we have dealt with humans before by “threatening” them. Remember April? You kind of scared her with, “We will find you…” and we have no idea if this girl will respond the same way. Humans are fickle. If worst comes to worst, we can’t deny her her human rights. Splinter would never have approved of that, but…we can’t afford to be exposed either. Just got lucky with April and Casey. I really don’t want to become a lab experiment.” 

“Me neither, but-

The sheet on the table suddenly began rustling and the turtle’s attention fell on Bethany. She was stirring. Leo then gave Don a thumbs up and rushed himself out of the lab. Don spun around in his chair and starting clearing up a pile of old schematics, pretending to not pay her any attention. He could still see her within his peripheral vision, curious to see what she’d do when his back was turned. 

Bethany had awakened and for a moment she panicked, seeing she wasn’t at home in her own bed. Her legs felt heavy, but she managed to swing them around the edge of the bed and take in her new surroundings. It smelled of sewage and machinery in this room and there was another person in the room with her. She saw the creature sitting over in front of a workbench or table and wondered what his motivations were. It wasn’t paying her any mind and so she slipped her feet to the cold cement floor and lifted herself off the bed. Then she shuffled over to what appeared to be the exit and grabbed onto the heavy door, trying to pull it open. However the creature behind her started speaking, causing her to pause.

“I wouldn’t go out there just yet. I don’t think you’re ready to meet the others.” 

She hunched her shoulders. So were the other monsters were behind this door? She let go of the handle and turned back to face her captor. She was scared and lost and wondered why she was still wearing yoga pants and a sport top. If the monsters wanted to rape her again, wouldn’t her clothes be shredded and on the floor? There were so many questions and she finally managed to say, “W-where are…we?” Her eyes shot around the room and it looked like an old factory.

“We are underground, ma’am. It’s a safe place,” Don said. He kept his distance from her so not to scare her more. “I know you’ve been through a lot the last few nights and my family wants to make peace with you.” 

“Family, underground?” Her voice was shaky and she was struggling to believe this was real. “How many monsters are there?” 

“We’re not monsters, miss. We’re turtles. Well mutated ones anyways. We brought you down here because there’s a huge problem that needs resolving.”

Her nerves were starting to settle, but she kept up her guard. “What problem? If anything, your the ones with the problems.” 

Don sighed, “Yes, about that. I know means jack-squat coming from me, but I’m really sorry. It should never have happened.” He took a step forward and saw that she wasn’t backing away. 

“So you know the mons- uh turtle that did this to me?” Her eyes were starting to tear up.

“Yes and I’m sorry to say he’s my brother. I never expected him to do something so…atrocious.” 

She could sense sincerity coming from this turtle and she knew it was not him who hurt her the other night. His voice and size was different, but she was still wary especially after finding out they are related. “So, what happens now? Is this brother of yours here too?”

“Raph was seriously punished and right now, I believe he’s in his room nursing a black eye. As for what happens to you next? That depends. Once we brought you down here, we only put you in bed and gave you some medicine to control a fever. Nothing else was done and Leonardo and I have kept a close watch.”

“I remember that name now. He was there last night! Is he the one who put me to sleep?” She grew nervous again because that very same move is what the rapist used after he finished with her. 

Don could sense her fear rising again. “Why don’t you sit down?” he offered and pulled up a chair by his workbench. 

She didn’t come. “You were there too. You carried me away!” 

“Yes, but we were very careful and kept you warm. Please, Bethany, I just want to help you…”

“How do you know my name!” 

Don swallowed. He slipped. “Oh, your driver’s license.” 

“How much about me do you know?! Do you and your family often dig through people’s private lives?” 

“No! We just wanted to get an idea of who you were! Please, we’re not going to harm you. Just take a seat and we can calmly discuss this.” Don pleaded and he took a couple steps towards her. 

“Just don’t! Stay away from me!” she cried and slowly backed up against the door again. They knew so much about her, making her feel like some sort of experiment! Frightened, she grabbed the door handle and yanked it open, stumbling through the door with the turtle calling for her to stop. She rushed out into the next room, peering over her shoulder to see the turtle with the purple bandana in pursuit. Her heart was pounding and she just needed to escape and find help…or a doctor, someone! Since she wasn’t paying attention, she ended up crashing into something big and fell backwards. Whatever she struck wound up groaning from the impact and swearing. “What the hell?” said a deep and booming voice, one she immediately recognized. She turned towards the familiar voice and froze, sitting in the middle of a large room and staring up at the demon turtle who hurt her. He was huge! Maybe over six feet tall and burly. His arms were the size of her head and he was staring right back. Their eyes locked, much in the same way they did the other night. His face was the same except for swelling and discoloration from bruising, but it was him! 

Bethany’s arms started to shake and she couldn’t speak. Her eyes wouldn’t leave the massive figure before her. 

Raph was stunned. He didn’t expect her to leave the lab, let alone bump into him. He didn’t know what to do and stood there awkwardly. The girl was absolutely terrified and he wanted to help her up, but he just couldn’t bear to touch her, not after what he’s done. He rose one hand and tried to calm her, “Just…take it easy. I’m not-“

Before he could finish the sentence, she started screaming, which drew the attention of Michelangelo in the kitchen and Leo from the dojo. 

Donnie rushed out of the lab, carrying a needle between his teeth and he dropped down to the floor next to her. He attempted to gather her up himself, but she started thrashing. “Leo, Mikey! I need help!” 

Leonardo, confused to what just happened, rushed forward past Raph and took her legs, holding them so she couldn’t kick anyone. “Raph, go!” he shouted. 

Without another word, Raph disappeared into the kitchen as Mikey came running out, still wearing an apron and carrying a wooden spoon. He dropped the utensil and assisted his brothers in holding Bethany down so Don could administer a temporary sedative. The needle pierced her shoulder and the medicine rushed through her veins. Her stiffening limbs started to weaken, but she was still struggling somewhat. 

“Might need that second dose,” Don commented. 

“Pretty strong for a girl!” Mikey said, keeping a tight grip on her hands. 

Bethany did not like having three humanoid turtles tackling and holding her down like this, but she couldn’t do much. They were ridiculously powerful and she could feel her muscles lagging until they just stopped working. She wasn’t falling asleep, but her head was light. At this time, one of the captors scooped her up and brought her back in the lab where she was placed in a chair and wrapped in another blanket. 

“Shouldn’t she be in the bed?” Mikey asked.

“If we put her there, she might fall asleep again. The sooner we talk to her the better,” Don explained. 

Bethany drowsily glanced at the blue masked turtle. “Erm…grn, mntser…” she mumbled.

“Please don’t try to run, you might fall down and hurt yourself,” Leo said and he patted her on the shoulder. She was still delirious. “Just sit and relax. When you come back to your senses, we will talk.” 

“Won’t have to wait long. That sedative is short term. Give her a minute,” Don said. 

“Sweet! Cuz I have oatmeal boiling on the stove. She’s gotta be hungry,” Mikey said. “Oh shit, it might be burning!” He dashed out of the room to rescue the rolled oats. 

Leo chuckled at his little brother’s expense and redirected his focus on Bethany. “Miss, are you able to talk a little bit?” 

She didn’t respond immediately, but opened her mouth to try, but she just couldn’t formulate her words properly. 

“It’s okay. You don’t have to talk, just listen for now,” Leo encouraged. He then pulled up a seat right in front of her and took one of her hands. He held it gently and looked into her swollen eyes. “I sincerely apologize for what you’ve been through and I do want to let you know that this is a safe place. My brothers and I are very honorable people, even Raph. What he did was reckless on his part and he will make amends for harming you. His mind wasn’t clear, but I promise, no ill-will or further harm from us will come to you ever again.” He pretty much guaranteed the promises and awaited her response. 

Since her words were still slurred, she could only peer back into those blue eyes of his. She saw truth. He must have been sage, judging by how much wisdom he appeared to have. 

From outside the lab, Raphael was standing perched up against the door, listening. He’d heard every word that Leo just said and for some reason, it made him tear up. Leo still believed in him, even after the crime he committed. There wasn’t a lot of time to contemplate his reparations to the girl and figured he’d decide how to go about doing it later. Right now Mikey was returning with the hot oatmeal, so he made himself scarce. 

Michelangelo pretty much galloped to the lab with the bowl of apple spice oats and he gently pushed the door open. “I’m back and I have grub for our lady-guest! Toasty oatmeal with a glass of coconut milk! Yum!” He skittered past Leo and placed the tray on Don’s work desk. “Wasn’t sure if she’s allergic to dairy. So, how is she after that episode in the living room?” 

“She’s okay, just trying to take it all in,” Don replied. He eyed the oatmeal, “Bethany, can you manage a little food?” 

It’s been at least a day since she’s eaten anything and once the purple clad turtle mentioned food, her stomach growled, but she had some weird sensations in her tummy at the same time, likely from the medicine. Still, she nodded and Mikey did the honors of holding the bowl for her while she scooped a little of it into her mouth. It was quite tasty and she helped herself to some more, making Mikey proud. 

“See? I’d totally make a good househusband!” Mikey quipped.

Bethany almost choked and her eyes widened. She had to admit, that was somewhat amusing but she was still nervous around these guys. 

“Mikey! We’re trying to make her comfortable and you’re weirding her out!” Leo chastised. 

“Sorry! Sorry! I’m just trying to lighten the mood.” 

She’d eaten about half the bowl before giving up and graciously accepted the coconut milk. Her stress had reduced significantly after getting something in her stomach. The turtles were chatting, something about tests and she was curious to know what they were talking about. Did it involve her? For the moment she stayed silent, at least until the really sincere turtle addressed her. 

Leo sat forward on his chair, “Ma’am, Mikey and I are going to leave you alone with Donatello for a while. He needs to continue talking to you about a few things and its probably going to be uncomfortable having two extra people in the room.” With that, he got up and accompanied by Mikey, left the lab again. 

Don cleared his throat and leaned back in his chair so it reclined. He looked like a psychologist about to probe her mind. With a clipboard in hand and a pen in the other, he wrote down a few things. “Oh, by the way, sorry for raiding your purse. I just wanted to know your name and a few basic stats that would help with our questions and uh…other things. Has your voice come back yet?” 

She coughed and groaned a little bit before speaking, “Y-yeah…” It was barely audible, but much clearer. “I’m just tired.” 

“Sorry about the sedative too. I didn’t have too much choice. So, let’s get started shall we?” 

“Is there s-something wrong with me? I mean, after what that red turtle did?” she asked, concerned for her well being. 

“I don’t believe so, but that’s what we want to find out. Bethany, is it okay that I call you that?”

She nodded.

“Okay, then. You can call me Don or Donnie. Simpler than Donatello, but whatever you prefer. Anyways, I’m going to ask you a series of questions about your health and some pertaining to the other night. We can take as many breaks as you want. If you struggle with a question, please tell me, but know that we can’t skip over any of them. Okay?”

She was slightly dazed, but nodded. “Can I go home after?” 

“That depends.”

“On what?” 

“This questionnaire and the exam following.”

“Exam?” 

“Don’t worry about that just yet. The questions are crucial to determining what kind of exam you’ll have.”

She swallowed hard, “Shouldn’t a doctor be examining me? I was going to go to one today.” 

“Well that answers my first question.” Don scribbled down her statement. “You haven’t seen anyone yet, that’s good.” 

“Good? I don’t understand!” she cried. 

“What I mean is that a human doctor hasn’t done a rape kit on you yet. So there’s no chance of my family being exposed at the moment. I’m sorry for being so blunt, but the medical and science field can be cold and invasive. I’ll tell you the truth. My brothers and I fear being discovered. We’d be turned into lab experiments, dissected, and who knows what else. There’s only four of us in the world, which technically makes us endangered,” he chuckled. “But it’s better than being extinct for the time being.” 

“I see. So instead of letting me go to a normal doctor, you’re going to see me instead? Are you a doctor?”

“I’ve been my brother’s and late father’s doctor for years. I’ve treated some human friends too, so I’m familiar with human anatomy. Can I continue with our game of twenty questions?” 

“I suppose I have no choice. You’d catch me if I tried to run again.” She frowned and pulled her blanket tightly around her shoulders.

“Most likely. But like Leo said, we’re good people. So, no doctor visit yet. Have you gone to the police?”

“No.”

“Okay. These next questions are regarding your side of the story the other night. Did Raph harm you in any way? Cuts, scratches, bruising?” He looked up from his clipboard, anticipating a favorable answer. 

“No injuries from those weapons or by his hand, but…”

Don’s eyebrows perked up, “But?”

“When he…please don’t make me say it,” she pleaded. 

“Please, I have to know if he hurt you in any way. You weren’t a virgin were you?” 

Her face reddened, “No…” She paused, trying to figure out how to say it, “But, it sure felt like I was one all over again.” 

“A lot of stretching?”

She sighed and hid her face in her blanket, “When he first thrust into me, I felt it spread so fast that I thought I was scraped. Then I stretched out a lot.” 

His hand moved vigorously across the paper, writing down at least a paragraph. “We’ll definitely look for any lacerations. Are you in pain? I can give you something if you want.” 

“Only achy, nothing too serious,” she said, face still swallowed up by the blanket. 

“All right, just let me know. This next one is a bit more odd than the last. How long was he inside of you? About how long did it last?”

She had to think about it for a few minutes, trying to recount the duration. “Maybe, thirty minutes?” 

“Okay. Bethany, did my brother ejaculate inside of you?”

She muttered angrily, “He did.” 

“What happened after he left?” Don shifted his position. These next few questions were not quite as personal, but still a bit sensitive. 

“I don’t really know. I can remember sitting up on the bed and trying to run out of the room. Next thing I know, he has me and I’m out cold. The next morning I woke as though nothing ever happened and went to the bathroom to take a shower. I felt something leak out of me and I immediately remembered what he did. I scrubbed myself so many times.” 

“Any douching?”

“No. That’s bad for health.” 

“Are you expecting your period any time soon? If not, when was the last one?” 

“Ended maybe two weeks ago? So no, not expecting it for a little while.”

He took down several more notes before asking a final question. “This is probably going to be my most awkward question, Bethany. But, would you consent to letting me run a few tests on you and remove any remaining traces of semen from your body?” 

Her jaw dropped, “I…I, what? No!” 

“Please think carefully before deciding. I already told you my concerns for my family’s exposure and we will go to great lengths to protect ourselves. If I can’t perform these tests on you, then we have to ask you to stay here for at least a month.” 

“A month?! W-why?” She dropped the blanket away from her face.

“I can’t take any risks. If I can’t remove the semen myself, then we have to wait until your body naturally absorbs it and judging by your schedule, you’re probably not going to expect your next cycle for three weeks on average, possibly four? The little tadpoles will die in a few days of their departure from Raph, but the proteins will stay inside of you for weeks. Plus, I really want to get a blood sample and see if the mutant gene will have any effect on you.” 

“Wait, mutant gene? That can be passed along to me?” That truly terrified her. “What’ll happen to me?!” 

“I can’t answer those questions, because I don’t know. But I want to find out, if you’ll let me.” 

The whole idea of having mutant proteins in her body sickened her. What would become of her? She couldn’t stay down her for a month! Her job, her home, family, friends! They’d think she’d gone missing! And the turtles will not let her leave without confirmation that she’s in the clear. There was no choice and she sucked in a deep breath, “Okay…I’ll do it. I just need to go home as soon as possible.” 

“That’s the idea.” Don smiled and he dropped his clipboard on the desk. “We’ll start after dinner, hope you like pizza!”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Donnie performs a physical and Mikey and Raph have a "heart-to-heart"

It was a lengthy afternoon of solitude, practice, and then more solitude. It seemed as though Raph was only allowed out of his room to eat and practice today. Leo made sure to have his eye on him, which drove him crazy! What was worse, Leo carried his sais on his person everywhere he went! 

“Gah! I’m fucking goin’ nuts!” Raph shouted and he picked up a stack of books and flung them across his room. He’d taken to destroying a lot of his possessions in anger. There wasn’t anything else he could do. Normally, he would go to the surface and exercise, but he wasn’t allowed to go up by himself. With no way to escape the pain of his sins or the wrath of his brothers, he was trapped here. Just before he was about to break a piece of his bed, he heard a knock on his door. 

“Come in!” he yelled, not really thinking about his tone of voice. 

Mikey popped his head in. “Uh, hey bro…I was just checking, woah! What happened to your room?” There was junk everywhere; papers all over the floor, splintered wood, broken cds, etc. 

“Nothin’, just getting out some frustration,” Raph said and he sat himself down on the mattress. “Besides, your room ain’t much different.”

Hey, I have a highly organized room of clutter! I know exactly where everything is.” Mikey wandered inside and plopped down next to Raph. “So, how you doin’?” 

“How does it look like I’m doin’?” 

Mikey flinched, “Not so hot.” There was an unusually long pause before Mikey started speaking again, oddly enough, he had a serious demeanor. “Raph, I just wanted to let you know that I’m not super pissed at you anymore, not to say I condone what you did, but that I’m learning to accept that you made a bad choice. It took a lot of balls for you to admit your mistake. Leo and Don will come around eventually, but I’m still your brother and I’m not going to shun you for the rest of your life.”

Raph looked at his little brother, surprised by his statement, “Oh, uh, thanks Mikey. It means a lot.” 

“No prob! In the meantime, we need to find a better outlet for you. You know, somethin’ to distract you from “those” urges. I have my video games, Leo practices all the time, and Don is always working. You need something too.”

“What? Leo’s banned me from goin’ to the surface alone. That’s how I used to let off steam, now I have nothin’. I’m a ticking tie bomb in here! If I stay cooped up for long periods, I get violent…” 

Mikey scratched his head, “Why not spend more time practicing in the dojo?”

“It’s not enough. Besides, that helps reduce my anger, not my urges.” Raph leaned back against the mattress. “I can’t believe I’m talkin’ to ya about this.” 

“I’m the only who will talk to ya without smacking you. Being alone isn’t always good. I know I can’t survive being alone for more than a few days. When I was sick or something in the past, I hated staying home alone while you guys went out on patrol.” 

“I like being alone,” Raph said casually.

“Oh I know. But the other night, you were alone. Did something change?” 

“No, nothin’ changed.” He turned his head to stare at his bedpost and figure out how to explain the odd feelings he’s had lately. He wasn’t fond of sharing his emotions, but just having someone to talk to without judgement was nice. “Mikey, don’t you have urges? Ya can’t tell me you never have. Then you’d be lyin’ to me.” 

Mikey gulped, “You’re right. I would be lying. But yeah, I’ve been wondering what it’d be like to be in a real relationship with a girl so many times. It’s never gonna happen though. Humans are just weird, never looking past appearances it seems. I guess for the few humans who do accept us, I really like to hit on all the girls. I guess it makes them laugh and reminds me that I’ll always have girl friends, but not a ‘girlfriend.’” 

“So you hit on all girls you meet because it helps?”

“Yeah, sometimes it does. But when I get home, I kinda fall into a solemn mood. Is that what happens to you?” Mikey leaned back, replicating Raph’s position and the two of them were parallel to the other, just peering up at the ceiling. 

Raph sighed, “No, I just get moody and break shit before really thinkin’ about it. I don’t know, I guess I envy humans. They have it all while we slink around the sewers. There’s just…ah…”

“What?” 

“I guess I really wanted a relationship as badly as you, but I couldn’t control my emotions. That’s what led me to the other night,” Raph admitted. “I felt that I should just stop tryin’ to dream about it and go out and take it. Now I regret it and it fucked everything up.” He heard Mikey groan slightly and then his little bro sat up. 

“Dude, constantly beating yourself up isn’t going to solve the problem. You need to make it up to her. If she accepts, good. But we’ll never know until ya try.” 

“I’ll make it work out.” 

“Good.” Mikey nodded and contemplated not asking his next question, but curiosity got the better of him, “So, Raph can I ask you something personal?”

“Well, since the whole world knows about my antics with the girl, why not?” He awaited to hear Mikey’s question, wondering what could possibly be wracking Mikey’s brain.

“Okay, ah, so…you’re the only one who’s ever done it. What does it feel like?” Mikey questioned, shifting his position uncomfortably and not looking at Raph. 

Raph’s mouth fell open. Did mikey really just ask that? “You ain’t thinkin’ about goin’ out and…”

“No! No, I was just…curious. I’ve been wondering since I was fifteen and frankly, its making me nuts not knowing.” 

Raph could relate and didn’t feel the need to berate his brother, so he figured, why not. “It’s exactly everything ya dream about.”

“Really? So…wet?”

“Wet, warm, soft…something ya want over and over again. If ya think you’ll get some in the future, just don’t go my route.” Raph remembered how wonderful it felt to be inside a woman, “But its something you never forget.”

“Definitely not.” He then continued with, “Did you try oral?”

“Mikey!” Raph shouted, clearly he felt a line was crossed.

“What?! I’m just being honest!” 

_____________________________________________________________

 

Bethany sat at the table, still wrapped up in blankets and staring at a slice of chicken and vegetable pizza. The turtles were sitting at opposite ends of the table, just talking randomly about their friends she assumed. Raphael did not come down to join them, so Mikey brought him a portion before reclaiming his seat at the table. There was the mention of a name Splinter mid conversation and she found it rather odd. Having been silent throughout the whole meal, she finally asked, “Who’s Splinter?” 

The guys all looked at her and then at each other. Don shrugged at Leo and went back to eating and so Leo took responsibility in answering, choosing his words carefully.

“He was our adoptive father. Caring, a good man, and an even better ninja.” 

“Taught us everything we know!” Mikey said. 

“Was he a human?” she asked.

Leo didn’t want to go into it, but there was no point since she already knew of them, “No, he was a rat.” 

Her eyes widened slightly. She wasn’t fond of rats. In fact there were millions in the sewer system and though she has yet to see one, she didn’t like being in close proximity of them. 

Mikey eventually piped up, “Enough about us, let’s hear something about you!” He then winked at Leo, who smiled back, thanking him for changing the subject. “What kinds of things do you like? Sports, games? Dare I say, business?”

“Yes, what do you do for a living?” Don added. 

She hesitated, but figured that humoring them could only help her get out of there sooner, “Well, I am an assistant manager of Vacasa corp. It’s a company that plans vacations. Very popular with celebs and big money. I help mostly the bookkeeping department. I’m decent with numbers.”

“Another nerd!” Mikey said, chuckling. “Sounds like she’s right up your alley Donnie!” 

“Very funny, goofball,” Don retorted and stuffed the last bit of crust in his mouth.

Leo had helped himself to a second slice, “What’s your family like?” 

“I have a brother overseas. Military, well air force. My mother is upstate and my dad lives in Alaska. He works in the oil industry. I was married briefly to my high school sweetheart, had a son, but the “love of my life” decided he wanted to be a solitary man who can play around with other women and so we divorced. But a better lawyer got him custody of Luke. I guess having lots of money is rewarding.” She frowned and finally took a bite of her pizza. 

“That’s so sad,” Mikey said. “Luke’s your boy? How old is he?” 

“He’ll be seven in February. My little Valentine baby. I just hope that asshole father of his is taking care of him.”

“You do have visitation I hope…” Don wondered.

“Until I start bringing in a better income and move out of my rental home, I only get him every other weekend. Which is why I really want to return home as soon as possible. Next weekend is my turn and I want to take my son north to visit his grandmother in Syracuse.” 

“We’ll do what we can to make sure you see your son,” Leo said as he finished his last slice. 

About thirty minutes later, they had all finished up and Mikey began cleanup. There was no appearance from Raphael at all and Don escorted Bethany back to the lab. She’d only eaten a little bit of dinner, but she didn’t want a full stomach anyways in case the tests were too much to bear. Don had given her a gown to change into and a basket to put her clothes in. Mikey offered her a long t-shirt and pajama pants to put on afterwards as he insisted on washing her clothes for her. She didn’t argue and let Michelangelo do as he liked. She just wanted to get through this. 

Donatello had the lab sectioned off with curtains and moved one of his cots inside an empty area. His computer and several different types of equipment and medical supplies. He started scrubbing his hands in the kitchen while allowing Bethany to change behind the curtains. Once his hands were freshly cleaned, he had Leo assist him with getting his lab coat on and mask along with modified gloves, heavily sanitized and fit for his large hands. Over them, he’d wear brand new gloves from the hospital once he began, additional fingers tied in knots for ease. While he prepped, he fed her instructions. “Keep the gown untied for now and hop up on the table when you’re ready.” He then shooed Mikey and Leo out of the room and told them to avoid entering the lab for at least two hours. 

Bethany was nervous as hell. She was letting a total stranger examine her. Then again, she only saw her primary care doctor once in the last two years and she entrusted him with her health information, so technically he was a stranger too. Anyone could be questionable. Still, she wanted to go home and just sat there on the table. Then Don gently pushed through the curtain and went straight for his desk. He was carrying a tray of instruments. 

“Where did you get all this stuff?” she asked.

“My brothers and I make several visits to the hospital a year. We “borrow” a lot of materials from storage.”

“You steal…” 

“Guilty as charged, but only for medical gear. We can’t exactly go to hospitals for treatment, so we make do.” Don then pulled a few instruments out of the tray; tubes with fresh swabs, gauze, alcohol, plastic baggies, and a speculum.

“You have a speculum? Four guys underground have one of those?” 

“Let’s just put it this way. When we grab supplies above, we don’t really pay attention and just stuff our bags full. Think of it as a grab bag,” Don mused. 

That comment was mildly amusing, but Bethany was still nervous. Hopefully everything he used was properly sanitized. 

“All right. I’m ready if you are,” Don said and he turned around to face her. “Go ahead and sit up straight. I’m gonna see if there’s any bruising or something that formed in the last few hours. Even though you said Raph didn’t hurt you, the mind plays games and the body doesn’t realize that it may have gotten injured in the heat of the moment.” He strolled around the bed as she did as he asked. “We’ll go top to bottom. Just try to relax.” He then started with her jaw and shoulders, pressing on her skin with his fingertips, looking for any signs of discomfort from her. Then he did a fast visual of her back by pulling the gown away from her skin briefly. He then moved to the front of her and even though he was slightly shy, he separated the front of the gown and looked over her bare chest. There was a few red splotches all over her breasts. Don notated his clipboard and touched her sternum, putting pressure on it with no response from her. “Good. Nothing other than a few broken capillaries. You can tie the top together, but leave the waist open and please lie back.” 

Bethany’s nerves were a little up in the air, but she was feeling a bit better knowing that this turtle was treating her like a patient rather than a toy. He could be trusted. Once she was on her back, Don asked her to hike up the gown and expose her lower extremities and torso. It was hard for her, but she managed and he started poking and prodding her belly, hip bones, and thighs. His finger then settled on a long scar just a mere inch over her pubic bone. 

“C-section?” he asked.

She nodded and he scribbled that down before moving on. He passed her thighs and finally moved along her knees, to which she flinched. 

“Ah! Ow! My right knee!” she cringed and shuddered when he put some pressure on it. 

“How did this happen?”

“I remember kneeing him in the gut.”

“Oh, not a good idea with the shell, unless you can strike super hard. It’s tough, but can be done if you’re trained. Don’t you worry, I gave Raph a good blow to make up for it.” He let go of her knee, “Not discolored yet, but give it a day. You’ll be nice and purple.” Then he moved down to her foot and noticed a reddened ring around her left ankle, “What’s this?”

She looked down at her foot, “Oh, that’s from the duct tape. He tied my foot and wrist to the bed posts.” She held out her right arm to him.

He studied both body parts, “No bleeding?”

“No.”

“Okay, then. Let me just get all this documented and we’ll move on.”

After the initial physical, Don had Bethany take a few sips of water and asked her if she wanted a break before doing the internal exam. She accepted and it gave him a chance to write more information down in his notes and prep his microscope. He adjusted two stirrups that protruded from under the bed and rolled a table and tray with supplies near the bed. About ten minutes later he was finished and took a quick drink himself before reapplying his gloves and getting ready to cover them with the sterile latex ones. “Okay, feet up, bum on the edge of the bed.” He handed her a paper drape to put over her waist and legs for modesty.

The paper was quite large so she folded it in half before climbing back on the bed and scooting herself low enough to put her feet on the stirrups. She yanked the pillow down and rested comfortably while Don was busy reapplying gloves.

“If at any point that something hurts, tell me. If you need a break, we can take one,” he said calmly and scooted his chair up. He was slightly nervous himself at this point, having never looked at a woman this close before. Books had shown him every human body part and his brother Mikey occasionally shoved a dirty magazine in his face, so he was familiar, but this was in person. He breathed deep before folding the paper back to expose her legs and genitals. She was shaking a little bit and he knew exactly why. “Let me reassure you, I’m all ears if there’s a complaint or you get nervous. We’ll stop and have a drink.” Don smiled to try and ease her fears. 

She nodded profusely and waited for him to begin and watched as he pulled down a pair of massive goggles from his forehead. “Did you build those goggles?” 

“Yep. Make me look like an Einstein?”

She chuckled, “I guess s-so…”

Donnie then picked up the speculum and covered it with plastic before touching her body, signaling her that he’d begun. She tensed up when she felt his fingers touch her and flashbacks of the other night began pouring into her head. She gasped as the speculum was placed at her opening.

“Deep breath, try to relax. You got this,” Don encouraged, noticing that her muscles were contracting like crazy.

She sucked in some air slowly released it. The speculum was all the way in now and she felt better. Then Don worked with it to open her up and give him a visual of her cervix. 

He grabbed one of the tubes with a cotton swab inside and opened it, “Good job. I’ll try to make this quick.” He then inserted the swab inside and pressed it against the soft tissue of her cervix and rubbed it around a few times, collecting a sample. He did the same with a second swab. Her mucus was pretty thick, so it made it easy and he moved on to removing the speculum and doing his search for injury. The device slid right out of her and he put it in a pan on the tray table. “Gonna look for cuts or scrapes now, okay? Need a break?”

“No, just want to finish…” she muttered, relieved that the speculum was out. Then a set of fingers began separating her folds, stretching them and maneuvering them. 

“Couple lacerations on the inside,” Don said. 

She sat up and looked at Don, “I didn’t even know. I thought I was wet enough after what he did to get me to comply.”

“Raph’s a big guy, so I’d expect him to leave a mark or two. Even if your body prepared itself, you were not mentally ready and he forced himself on you. Did he ease in or just a quick thrust?” 

“It was really fast and hard. It made me yell.” The thought of it made the hairs on her arms stand up. 

Don nodded, “Ah, see? He wasn’t coated properly so it was almost as though he’d gone in dry. Anyways, I don’t see any other physical damage inside and your labia is in good shape. So we’re done for now. I want to test the specimens really quick. Just lie back and relax for a bit.”

Bethany watched the turtle for nearly thirty minutes as he worked with the samples and looked at them under a microscope. He wrote occasionally and she thought this portion of the testing would never end. Then he finally looked up at her, “Well, I looked at everything and I can tell you with confidence that there’s a few little swimmers still in there but most of them are dead. Unfortunately, some of the semen already traveled up into the uterus, but I’m not concerned. There’s no chance of pregnancy. Our dna does not match. So what I’d like to do now is flush everything out and then do the final test. I want a couple blood samples to see if there’s any mutagen in your body.” 

“Okay.” She frowned, tired of all the testing but they were almost done and she rested on the bed, waiting for him. 

Don had already gotten a tube ready with a sterile mixture of vinegar and water and a bucket to catch the drainage and changed his gloves. “Feet up again and this’ll be really fast.” He cleared off the tray table, adjusted its height and placed the little square bucket on top. “Scoot forward so your rear is hanging slightly off the bed.” He then pushed the table towards her, positioning it beneath her and he held the tube in one hand. “Ready? It’s probably a little cold, sorry.” He then pushed the tube gently into her folds and started the flush. Fluid gushed out of her and he continued to cleanse her. He emptied the entire tube and waited for the last of the mixture to drain before placing a fresh towel against her. “There we go. You’ll probably be a little dry down there for a few days.” He pulled the table away. “You can get dressed now and we’ll get the dna test started, unless you want a break.” 

“Yeah, I do. I’ve really gotta use a restroom.” 

“Sure. Outside the lab to the right, first door. Take your time. By the way, the guys might be outside waiting, so don’t be startled if Mikey bombards you. I’ll take of them.” 

Bethany started with getting the gown off. It didn’t really matter if Don was in the room or not at this point since he’d seen every last inch of her. She slipped on the shirt and pants Mikey gave her and found a little pair of slippers at the bottom of the basket. Mikey must have left those for her. After getting dressed, she headed outside the lab and towards the bathroom without a bother from the other turtles. 

Donatello emerged from the lab, wiping his forehead with a cloth and went into the kitchen to retrieve a glass of orange juice. Well, the exam was done and he wasn’t worried about evidence on her body anymore, but he was worried about what he’d find in her dna. The orange juice was refreshing and he gulped it down quickly just as Leo entered the room, followed by a very exhausted Raphael. “Geez Raph, you look like shit.” 

“Thanks for your concern,” Raph groaned. For the last hour, Leo was putting him through a marathon of laps and other core exercises as the start of his punishment besides isolation from topside. 

“And we’re not finished yet,” Leo added, scowling at Raph. “Just letting him have a water break before we start our one-thousand pushup challenge. So Don, how’s the girl?”

“She’s doin’ good. Pretty cooperative. I guess she really wants to go home. Only a blood test to go and a few hours of observation, possible overnight just in case.”

“Was she injured at all?” Leo asked.

“Some internal lacerations, bruising around her wrist and ankle, and her knee is going to be black and blue tomorrow. At least she put up a fight. Would have been better if she aimed for your head though.” Don smirked at Raph, earning him back a growl. 

Leo sighed, “How fast will those lacerations heal?” 

“A week maybe.”

That comment had Raph internally reeling. So he did hurt her. He did deserve everything that Leo threw at him and grumbled madly to himself about his stupidity while getting a water bottle from the fridge. He continued to listen to Don talk.

“She’s got a short recovery, but I can’t say the same for her mind. It’s gonna take a lot of time for her to cope. I made her as comfortable as possible, cleaned her up, flushed her out and so there’s no trace of physical evidence anymore. I think some bed rest is right up her alley after I draw blood. I’ll have Mikey bring her a snack, something with sugar. 

“Where is she now?” 

“Restroom. Probably cleaning up, but I’m not too concerned.” Don grabbed a banana from on top of the fridge and started to peel it. “I’ve been so busy, I haven’t eaten anything in hours. Anyways, I gotta do that draw now. I’ll let you know what I find.” 

Leo nodded, “And I’ve gotta get back to someone’s discipline.” He chuckled as Raph bashed his head against the fridge door in frustration.

Don left the kitchen, finishing off his banana when he noticed the door to his lab was propped open. Bethany must have been finished in the bathroom and returned to do the final test. He stepped inside and was surprised by how quiet it was. He walked past the curtains and saw the bed empty. “Hm…” Perhaps she was still in the bathroom? He noticed her purse was missing from his desk and he panicked. Then he rushed out of the lab and to the bathroom to find it empty as well. “Oh shit!”

His swearing attracted Leo from the dojo and Mikey out of his room. 

“Don what’s up?” Leo asked, poking his out of the sliding doors. 

“She’s gone! I didn’t think she’d actually disappear like that! We’ve got to bring her back, her life could be in danger. I have no idea how her body will react to the mutagen, if she carries it!” 

Mikey ripped off his headphones and jogged over to the lab, “Want me to search the sewers?”

“Yeah, get moving. Don will scan the computer system and see if he can get a visual on her. You and I will separate and see if we can catch her before she makes it to the surface,” Leo instructed, “Keep in touch, Don!” Leo flashed his cell to the brothers and both he and Mikey raced out of the lair, going in different directions. 

Irritated with her hasty exit, Don jogged into the living room to view his wall of computers and security system. 

Meanwhile, Raph left the dojo, calmly pacing around the room, “So she escaped?” 

“Yup.”

“Slippery little thing, ain’t she?” 

“I suppose you can confirm this,” Don said, clearly insulting his brother, again. 

“Cut the shitty remarks. I’m already goin’ through enough guilt trips. Just find her.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bethany seeks solace in a friend

“Donnie, any visuals yet?” 

“Not yet, but I’m speeding through the security system. I doubt she got far, Leo.” 

Donatello was frantically flying through all of the cameras, keeping his eyes peeled for the girl and he had Leo and Mikey’s locations on their cells, giving them directions by speaker phone. Eventually his eye caught on an unfamiliar figure and he spotted Bethany. “Got her! She’s at the 14th ave tunnel. Hurry up, she’s only a few blocks north of Mikey and two blocks east of you, Leo! There’s a manhole close to her and she’s going for it!”

Mikey happened to have his skateboard on hand and he powered it up before flying off to the northern sewers. He sped around on it so fast that he had to duck a few times to avoid getting his taken off by a pipe here and there. 

Leonardo was so close, but all she had to do was poke her head out of the sewer and she’d be safe. The humans at street level would see her and if she started screaming, they’d call for help. If she made it, then she’d be out of Donnie’s sight. He leapt over a conduit and barely caught a glimpse of her before topping off his speed at maximum sprint. She was already climbing up a ladder and reaching for the manhole. Her hand lay flat against it and she pushed hard, slowly moving it. 

“So heavy!” she mumbled but managed to slide it over enough so she could squeeze through. She had barely put her hand through before she heard one of the turtles call out to her. 

“Bethany! Please wait! We need to do the last few tests on you! If you leave now, we can’t help you until nightfall!” Leo shouted. 

“I can’t stay there with that red turtle any longer!” she called back and quickly pulled herself through the manhole and took off in a run, wearing nothing more than the pajamas and shirt Mikey gave her. She was barefoot and had her purse, but several miles away from her house and a fresh change of clothes. People stared at her as she ran through the crowds and then went on their merry way, not really caring why she appeared panicked. It was New York. There were weird people everywhere.

In the sewers, Leo stood several feet away from the open manhole and cursed that she got away so easily. “Donnie, she escaped to the surface. We gotta get her back somehow.” He then started the walk back to the lair. There was nothing he could do for now, but at least they knew where she lived.”

Raph was pacing around the lair, pissed off and annoyed that he couldn’t have joined his brothers in the sewers to catch her. He watched as Don bashed his fists on the desk in frustration. It was rare to see the smart ass having a moment and it amused Raph. “Relax, we’ll get her back tonight.”

Don groaned, “I doubt she’s dumb enough to stay at her house for a long time. We know where she lives! She’s going to grab a bunch of necessities and hightail it for a relative’s house or friend. I’m not sure where exactly she’ll go, but I will hack the internet database and find out where her contacts live.” 

By the time Leo and Mikey returned, Don had surfed through the city grid and found everyone with the last name of Frasier, revealing hundreds of human addresses. He had to narrow it down and eventually located two possible matches. Matthew Frasier and Carson Frasier. Each had a connection to a Bethany Frasier, which Don already began work on figuring out which one was Bethany’s ex-husband. 

Raphael was fretting about the whole situation and was itching to just tackle Leo and take back his sais so he could go out and find the girl himself. “Do we know what’ll happen to her if she does have mutagen in her blood?”

“Nope, never had an incident where mutagen was introduced to a human by intercourse. If it’s there, that is,” Don replied quickly and continued typing. He then gasped.

“What? What is it?” Leo asked, hoping for good news.

“I tracked Bethany’s extended and immediate family. Carson Frasier, an executive at Mecca Bio-Engineering Corp was her husband. He lives in Manhattan with their son, Luke. Bethany’s mother is retired in Syracuse. Got her address, but I’m really hoping we won’t have to travel upstate and its too short term for Bethany to book a ticket to Alaska to stay with her dad.” Don then printed a copy of the addresses, just in case. “You think she’ll stay with her ex?” 

Leo thought about it for a minute, “Possibly. But he’ll want to know why she’d ask to stay with him. I think we should try and track Bethany down first. Can you trace her phone?”

“I can try, but the battery may be dead. She hasn’t charged it since before we brought her here.”

“Give it a shot.”

__________________________________________________

Bethany was out of breath after running so many blocks and she stopped nearby a cafe to catch her breath. She had a little bit of cash, so she quickly ordered a glass of water and a piece of fruit. The cashier glanced over her disheveled appearance, but gave her her change and fetched the small order. She blew through the quick meal and drink before taking off again. Another block later and she received a phone call. She stopped right in the middle of a crowded sidewalk, annoying the pedestrians and digging through her purse. Her phone had twelve percent battery left, but she opened it and saw it was her friend Cassie. Tearfully she answered the call and rushed to the other side of a building in the alley. There she was alone.

“Hello?!” Bethany urgently greeted.

“Bethany, it’s Cassie! Are you okay? You sounded terrified in your message and you sound out of breath now.”

“Cassie, I really need a safe place to stay for a short time, can I come over right now? I’ll tell you everything when I get there!”  
It was a fast call, but Cassie gave her the okay out of extreme concern and Bethany was now on her way to her closest friend’s apartment. It was a long walk, but she managed it and upon her arrival to the building, she dialed up the apartment and had to wait for Cassie to come downstairs to escort her up. A woman around Bethany’s age with blonde hair appeared at the door and used her keycard to open it. She then greeted Bethany with panic because of her appearance.

“What happened?” Cassie asked.

“Upstairs. I’ll tell you what happened.” 

The two women quickly took the elevator to the seventh floor and Cassie immediately fetched her friend some water. “You can stay however long as you need. I’ll get you some clothes.”

“Thanks,” Bethany said graciously and downed the water quickly. 

Cassie returned with a pair of jeans, a blouse, and a sport bra. “I hope the sport bra fits because we’re two different sizes.”

“It’s okay, it’ll stretch some. Ugh, I need a shower so badly.” 

Cassie nodded, “Where have you been? Sorry, but you smell like you’ve been in a sewer.” 

“You’re not exactly wrong.”

“What?!”

“I’ll tell you everything after I take a bath. Is it okay?” 

“Of course! There’s towels in the cupboard by the vanity. Help yourself to my soaps or anything that will get that smell off you.” 

Smiling slightly, Bethany put down her purse, “Oh, can I charge my phone? I’m afraid its almost dead.” She handed her android to Cassie before heading for the guest bathroom. 

A half hour later, Bethany appeared back in the kitchen where Cassie waited with a mug of coffee in her hand. “Thank you so much, Cassie. I feel a thousand times better. I really hope you’re prepared for the most ridiculous story ever.” 

“We’ve been friends for years. I’m ready for anything. Grab yourself a cup and tell me everything.”

Bethany sighed and began with two nights ago…the rape. She did not leave out a single detail and when she told Cassie about the mutant turtles, her friend paled. Then she went on about how they kidnapped her, conducted tests on her, and then attempted to do a blood draw. There were times during the story where Bethany thought Cassie may be a little put off, but she continued to listen. Then she closed the story with her trip over to the apartment. “You see, I’m afraid to go home because they know where I live and I can’t go to my ex’s house because he’ll commit me and I’ll never see Luke again.” She then looked at Cassie for her reaction. 

At first, Cassie was stunned, but she eventually managed, “I’m, just…I’m floored. Bethany, this is so hard to grasp.” 

“I know it is, but please believe me. They are real! The purple one, Donatello, said he wanted to draw my blood and test it for mutagen. I didn’t want to stick around for any sort of blood test or be around that red turtle anymore. He’s huge and terrifying! I can’t take it! He hurt me so badly!” Bethany then broke down into tears with Cassie rubbing her back. 

“Why don’t you go make yourself comfortable in the guest room and I’ll just order take-out for dinner today. You like Indian food?”

Bethany sniffed, “Yeah…it’s fine. Cassie, I really appreciate you taking me in and listening. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I really need the support right now.”

“I know you do. That’s why I’m insisting you stay with me for a while. You can borrow my car if you need to get to work since I only live a block away from the lab. I’ll take good care of you!” She then escorted Bethany to her room and let her be. She needed some time for herself. Cassie then headed out into the kitchen again to grab her briefcase and carried it to the master bedroom on the other side of the apartment. She locked her door and went even further inside towards the master bath where she placed the briefcase on her vanity and popped it open. She kept her business phone and documentation inside. After dialing her work number, she waited for the operator to pick up and requested her connection, “I’d like to speak with Dr. Abraham Stockman please. It’s Cassidy Hope.” She then waited several minutes to be redirected and then finally there was an answer. “Hello, Doctor? Yes, it’s Cassie. There’s been a development on an old case your father once worked on…”

__________________________________________________

 

Donatello spent three hours digging through signals in New York City and finally managed to get a lock on Bethany’s phone. He had found her number, but it was too risky to call her and instead they decided to take their chances and find her tonight and bring her back. It was getting close to dusk, but the turtles had to wait until total darkness since they would be traveling to Manhattan, the heaviest populated part of the suburb. It was full of rich snobs and businessmen. They were not fond of that area. 

For now, three of them were planning the excursion topside, while Raph remained on his own in the dojo, contemplating bringing a different weapon, but what would Leo have to say about that? He was so wrapped up in what his older brother thought, that he accidentally broke one of the wooden staffs. Don would be pissed because it was one of his favorite practice weapons. Oh well. He was thinking about the girl again as well. She had it so bad. While Don was searching for a trace on her, he talked about her past marriage and how her ex treated her badly and how she lost her son to the courts. He felt so guilty for what he did as it only added to her anxiety and sad life. 

Raph dropped the two pieces of the staff to the floor and marched off to his room where he could think in private. Leo told him he needed to figure out a way to make it up to her. He was about to set foot on the stairwell when Leo approached him. He figured they were leaving now. Leo already told him he wasn’t to come and so that argument was well out of the way. Raph waited for his next scolding.

“You can track us on the monitor if you want, but Donnie fixed it up so that we can track you as well from our cells. You set foot outside the lair and you’ll pay dearly tomorrow,” Leo said sternly. 

Biting his tongue, Raph just groaned and went straight upstairs to his room. He was growing tired of this cold treatment. 

The other turtles took up their weapons and prepared to leave for Manhattan in a few minutes. Mikey mentioned that the group didn’t seem complete, but Don and Leo ignored him and they left once the sky turned black. 

Being left behind pissed off Raph and he paced around in his room, digging through the piles of junk that were trashed over the last two days. He found one of his old practice sais made of wood and carefully placed it on the desk next to his bed. It was the first sai he received from his father when they began practicing martial arts as children. How could he let something so important get lost in the rubble? He decided he’d clean up his room because he didn’t want to trip over the junk anymore. There were quite a few things he’d forgotten about buried in the piles; photos, old martial arts magazines, a ceramic turtle that April had given him years ago. He put the trinket next to his sai and started to gather the ripped up papers and broken items. 

It was nearly an hour before the room looked presentable again. He really ought to take better pride in his dwelling and appreciate the little things he’d been given. If only his brothers could hear his thoughts, they’d be floored. He actually began to wonder if they found the girl yet and right after he finished up his room, he decided to go see if they made it to Manhattan yet. Computers weren’t really his thing, but he knew a little bit about the security system. 

The screens focused on the cameras in the sewers, except for one. The largest screen had a couple of tiny circles speeding across a grid. It was the guys and he saw they were closing in on their destination. He decided they were fine and figured he’d practice his least developed attribute, patience. 

 

On the other side of the city, Leo, Mikey, and Don were nearing a large apartment complex. By staying up on the rooftops, they avoided the thousands of humans below in the streets and utilized their grappling hooks to scale the building. 

“Bethany’s signal is getting stronger,” Don said, looking at his scanner perched on his arm. 

“Good! My arms are killing me!” Mikey whined.

“You haven’t been training with ropes lately have you?” Leo reprimanded and continued upwards. 

They were a little over halfway up the building when Don halted them and peeked into a window. “The signal is really strong here.” He then pulled himself up onto the balcony, making sure no humans were present from inside the apartment and he started rummaging through his utility pack for a lock pick. The window would be simple enough. It was the owner of the apartment they worried about and to be seen was not on the agenda. Once Don had the window open, they entered a dimly lit living room silently. 

Leo ordered them to spread out and search every room. It was fairly quiet in the apartment, except for a little bit of chattering coming from the back of the home. Don did a quick voice match on his scanner and determined it to belong to someone else. He stayed close to the room with the human inside as a lookout while Leo and Mike moved the other way. 

“Boy, this place sure is nice,” Mikey whispered. 

“Shh,” Leo responded and the two of them followed a corridor until they reached three doors, dividing into separate rooms. He pointed Mikey to the one on the right, while he went left and then they would search the final room together. 

Michelangelo gently pushed open the door. Nothing but a dim lamp inside and he was sure no humans were present and so he began searching. The bed was neatly made and everything was in its place, except for a small pile of laundry on the floor and a purse. Bethany’s purse! He quickly crawled across the floor and picked up the bag while checking the clothes as well. They were the very same pajamas and shirt he’d lent her! He dug through her bag and found her phone lying within, fully charged. Quickly he gathered up the clothes and stuffed them as best he could into the large purse and headed back for the door. 

Leo was already back out in the hallway, making sure they were still clear to search but Mikey stopped him from going into the last room. He held up Bethany’s bag and phone, which confirmed to Leo that she had been here. But where was she now and why leave her belongings? 

They moved stealthily back towards the living room where Donnie continued to listen to the talking human in the master bedroom. He was recording the person’s conversation when Leo gently tapped him on the shoulder. Don turned to see Mikey holding Bethany’s things and his eyes widened. Something was wrong. He kept his voice as low as possible and brought Leo and Mike up to speed, “This is Bethany’s friend Cassidy Hope. I scanned her in my system. She works for Sack’s Industries. I can’t believe the irony.” 

Leo whispered back, “Who is she talking to?”

“Might be her boss. I’m waiting to hear if there’s a mention of Bethany.”

Ten minutes went by and nothing more than numbers and bank checks fell out of this woman’s mouth. Don and Leo were incredibly patient, whereas Mikey was falling asleep. Then Don’s attention strengthened when he heard Bethany’s name. The three turtles remained silent and carefully listened to Cassidy’s every word. 

“Yes, Doctor. I’ll have our financing department forward the budget first thing tomorrow morning and we can begin,” she said. There was a pause, signaling the other person speaking before she continued, “Everything Bethany told me has been passed on to you, sir. Yes, I’m very impressed with this new knowledge and no, I doubt she’ll do anything stupid as long as we have her son. I would take the ex-husband as well. He’s competition anyways.” There was a longer pause. 

“They’ve got Bethany!” Mikey whispered, almost too loudly.

“Quiet, we need to see if she’ll hint at Bethany’s location,” Don said. He was worried. Bethany must have gone to this friend because she trusted her, but it appeared to backfire and now the knowledge of the last few days was shared with a corporation. He then heard Cassidy speak again. 

“I’ll be down at the office after I contact the bank tomorrow. We’ll start funding the project immediately. Oh and Dr. Stockman, please don’t worry about me. Bethany means nothing to me so I have no objections to the experiments. If you need any extra funding, just give me a call. Have a good night, sir!”

It seemed as though all the turtles felt their hearts sink. Bethany was going to be a lab experiment under Stockman! How was this possible? They had taken care of Baxter years ago! How did he come into power again? All three of them heard Cassidy put her phone down on a table and eventually some shuffling. They needed to retreat to separate places in the room to hide themselves since she was coming out of her room. Don quickly stopped his recording and closed his mini computer on his arm before finding a place behind a chair in the corner. Mikey squeezed himself into broom closet, while Leo remained tightly behind the master bedroom door. When the door opened, Leo remained in place and waited for the woman to move across the room in the dim lighting. 

This blonde woman would be easy to manipulate, but since she was a business woman, she’d try to game them or play dumb. All snobby people were alike. Leo watched as she moved towards the kitchen and he followed her, keeping his steps silent and sneaking up behind her. He then grabbed her from behind, one arm locked around her throat and the other holding one of her hands tightly against her back. She attempted to scream, but her airway was cut off. Her legs were flailing around, but Leo easily carried her over to the couch and shoved her over the back. Leo quickly drew one of his swords as he let go of her neck and flashed it in front of her eyes. “Don’t scream,” he commanded. 

Don and Mikey left their hiding places and surrounded the couch, cutting off any chances of her escape. 

Cassie panicked. She knew exactly who these creatures were. She’d seen pictures of them in the past project at Sack’s Industries. Her body started to shake. “W-why are…”

“We’ll be the ones asking the questions,” Leo added and he pushed his cold steel blade up against her cheek. “Where is Bethany?” 

“I- I’m s-sorry…who?” Cassie muttered, frightened that her face was about to be sliced open.

“Don’t play stupid. We know you sold her out.”

Donnie replayed a portion of the recording, “Here’s a friendly reminder.” 

Cassie listened to her own words and squeezed her eyes shut. They had every word of her conversation.  
Leo growled, “So let’s try again. Where are you keeping Bethany?” 

“I don’t have her!”

The sword pressed harder against her cheek and she felt the skin separate and blood leak out of the small wound. Plus her arm was being twisted even tighter against her back and she cried out. 

“Please stop!” she pleaded. 

“That depends on how you answer our questions.” Leo held his tight grip, keeping her arm locked while his brothers looked on. “A girl’s life is in danger. Tell us what we want to know, otherwise two lives will be at stake.” 

Michelangelo grumbled with annoyance at this woman’s stubbornness and Donnie just waited patiently for her to spill her guts. 

There was a bit more pressure put on Cassie’s arm and she started to cry. It was getting overwhelming and she finally blurted out, “All right! She’s in Sack’s Industries, the main lab in the basement!” 

Leo let off a little pressure on her, “What are they planning to do?” 

“I’m not sure…” 

He put the pressure back on her arm plus a tiny bit extra, forcing her to comply again. “C’mon, this all ends when you tell us the truth,” Leo said.

“I r-really…don’t know!” she shouted, “Abraham doesn’t tell me the procedures!” 

Leo looked at Don, who continued his scan of Cassie. He was watching her speech patterns for different intonations and he finally said, “She’s lying.” 

Then there was a snapping sound and she froze when her left arm fell limp to her side. It was overloaded with pain and she bit down on the sofa to ease her agony. Her tears flowed freely down her cheeks, but she garnered no sympathy from them. It wasn’t until she felt her other arm being taken into the very same position and locked that she panicked. “Okay! J-just please…don’t break my…o-other…” 

“Don’t make another mistake,” Leo growled and held her arm tightly still. “Continue.”

“They’re g-going to continue what they started with you, only t-they want to enhance…humans. After what Sacks saw with your results, he wanted to originally c-create biological warfare. Now he wants that mutagen to also create a more powerful army. Two birds…one stone. But he’s old and can’t do the project himself.”

“Why not just come after us for the mutagen? He did once before, why not now?” Don asked.

She didn’t say anything at first, but Leo coaxed her again, “After he failed to get the project off the ground the first time, he decided to try other methods. But then we found out about Bethany earlier today and I had to tell the assistant scientist, Abraham Stockman that the project may be more successful if we take it from a weak human.”

“There’s no guarantee that Bethany has it in her blood,” Don said.

Cassie cringed when she tried to move her injured arm. “She’s already been tested. It came back positive and we’re waiting for the proteins in her blood to multiply with the new compound so it will be viable.”

Don glanced at his brothers. “We need to get Bethany immediately before Stockman drains her!”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quickie rescue, but...

“Her body is fighting off the mutagen agent, this is so odd.” Abraham Stockman was viewing the blood sample under a microscope and trying everything he could to keep the cells multiplying, but they were dying. “We can’t allow this to happen.” Stockman then turned to his colleagues, “Bring me the phials from projects Renaissance and ML. I’m going to reintroduce the compound directly into her bloodstream and force it if I have to.” 

“Doctor, the procedure may kill her,” one of Stockman’s colleagues informed.

“One small sacrifice for science and money…” He took the slide off the plate and placed it down on the desk. “I will have that enhanced mutagen and surpass my father. He failed…” Stockman then took a brand new phial of Bethany’s blood and awaited his assistants arrival with the centrifuge containing the last few samples of mutagen remaining from the original project. Back then they tested on all sorts of animals, but it was the reptiles and small rodents that were most resilient. There was no test performed on humans, ever, and he couldn’t pass up the opportunity. 

Once the centrifuge arrived, a single phial was removed, unknown as to what creature originally carried the sample. Stockman then directed his assistant to add it to Bethany’s blood in the test tubes. There they would let it mix and settle. 

It didn’t take very long to complete the new mixture and Stockman intended to try the new experiment immediately, but first he needed to fetch the test subject. He left his assistant in charge to prepare the newest dose of mutagen while he headed for the holding chamber, escorted by two security guards. It was a bit of a walk to the basement cells, but they made the trip fairly quick. There was a long corridor of cells and Stockman opened cell number eleven, where Bethany was currently residing. The woman was terrified and huddled in the corner.

“Good evening, Mrs. Frasier,” Stockman greeted as he entered, the guards close behind, each with a gun drawn but not pointing at her. “Are we ready to continue?” 

“No! I don’t want to be a part of this! Please let me go! I have a son who needs me!” she screamed.

“You’re right, you do have a son who needs you.”

She looked confused for a moment. Was he going to let her go? She watched Stockman snap his fingers and one of the guards disappeared back into the hall. 

Stockman smiled at her, “I expect you to be a good patient and follow through with our procedures. Now come quietly.”

“No! Leave me alone!” She then scrunched her knees to her chest and put her head down in fear. She remained that way for a few minutes until she heard the small cries of a young child and her head shot up, eyes fixated on the doorway. The security guard had returned with her son in tow! “Luke!” she cried and jumped to her feet. She was going to attempt to get her son away from them, but the guard just took his gun and pointed it at Luke’s head. Bethany stopped in her tracks and broke down into tears and pleas, “Oh please don’t!” She fell to her knees and watched as her son started crying.

“Mommy!” Luke cried and he tried to reach out for her but the guard held him around the shoulders tightly. 

Bethany sniffled and gasped in panic, but she listened to Stockman’s directions for the sake of her little boy.

Stockman chuckled, “I knew you’d come to your senses. My guard will assist you to the lab and your son will enjoy his time with my right-hand man.” Again, he snapped his fingers and the remaining guard pulled Bethany to her feet. He held the gun against her back as they walked forward. Luke was pushed out of the room and returned to a different cell block, with Stockman’s other guard posting himself outside the room. She feared for Luke and didn’t attempt to run or fight back. She was brought to the lab and placed on a cold lab table, where Stockman demanded her clothing removed. She kept her composure even though she was being humiliated…again. This was doing a serious number on her psyche. She was nearing her breaking point, but kept her mouth shut before she got her son killed. Once the scientists had her limbs strapped down, the assistant to Stockman searched for a vein in her arm and prepared to place an intravenous needle into her arm, which connected her to a standard bag of saline. Then she was hooked up to monitors and a breathing tube was placed under her nostrils. 

Stockman already had his gloves on and a tray nearby with several needles, each containing a greenish-brown solution. He picked up the first needle and attached it to the I.V. tube. Then he pushed the mystery fluid into her vein. 

“You’re very fortunate, Mrs. Frasier, to have lasted this long with a trace amount of mutagen in your blood. I prefer not to know the details of how you obtained it, but for science, its a huge breakthrough. We also decided to try this on a human who has had no exposure,” Stockman said cruelly. “Bring in our other subject,” he called to his subordinates. 

Two guards wheeled in a large gurney with a long drape covered what looked like another being. Once wheeled up next to Bethany, one of the guards pulled back the cloth and she started to scream. 

“Oh god, Carson!” she screeched and wanted to vomit. Her ex-husband was lying there, strapped down. His skin was discolored with a purple tinge and his face and torso was swollen. There was blood running from his eyes and streaked down his cheeks. His chest was not rising or falling…

“Sadly, this volunteer subject did not make it,” Stockman said and nonchalantly recovered Carson’s face with the sheet. “So now we will see how you fair. Sedate her in case she starts thrashing.”

Bethany screamed and screamed until her voice hurt. Her son was now without a father and what would become of him in the court system? What if she suffers the same fate as her ex? Her thoughts went wild with questions and sadness before she felt her body start to relax against her will…  
_________________________________________________________________

Leo led the way, carrying the woman who betrayed Bethany. They had no choice but to bring her since she mentioned that the building’s security required a retina scan and a copy of her eye on Donnie’s mini computer would be no good since the system only recognized organic matter. Leo had Cassie slung over his shoulder, her broken arm in a tight sling. She was passed out, having been put under by pressure point. Mikey and Don followed closely behind. 

“Once we get inside, we’re going to have to disable the lights to remain stealthy. There’s a lot of scientists in the building after dark, probably working on illegal experimentation,” Don said. 

They flew across the rooftops not needing to go far because, as Cassie said, she lived very close to Sacks Industries. Once they were in view of the building, Don looked for the best way to enter with the fewest guards posted. “Guys, we’re gonna have to do this the hard way. Top to bottom. Only one guard posted on the roof and it looks like…” Don scanned the human who appeared to be sleeping on the job. “He’s passed out.” 

Mikey laughed, “Won’t have his job much longer.” 

“Shh…let’s just get this over with,” Leo said and he was the first to leap across the roof and land gently on the cement wall of Sacks. He held tightly to the girl, double checking her bindings so she couldn’t attempt escape when they entered. Her mouth was sealed with duct tape and her feet were bound. He wasn’t exactly sure when she would wake up, but she certainly was not going to be happy. Her arm was all swollen and pressed tightly against her body. The sling was barely helpful, but it wasn’t the turtle’s concern. 

The guard on the roof was propped against the rooftop emergency exit, hat over his eyes and gun haphazardly slung across his lap. Mikey was tempted to mess with the guy, but Don shooed him away and started picking the lock while his brothers played lookout. Once the door was unlocked, Don gently pulled the handle and kept quiet as he slid inside to scope out the stairwell. “Clear,” he whispered and started to descend, followed by Mikey and Leo with Cassie. At every new floor, they listened at the exit door to make sure nobody was on the other side. They spent at least twenty minutes moving towards the basement. The ground floor was going to be flooded with guards and scientists. They made it to the basement and Don cautiously opened the door. 

One guard was standing nearby, not really paying attention and he was easily caught off guard. Mikey snatched him around the head and shoulders before he saw anything coming. In a swift shot to the head, Mikey knocked the unsuspecting guard out and lay him beneath the stairwell on the floor where nobody would find him immediately. Then the three turtles quickly entered the lengthy corridor, with Don checking to see if there were cameras posted anywhere. They probably kept cameras in the labs and holding cells and there were dozens. So beginning with room number 107, Leo brought Cassie down from his shoulder. She was groggy, but slowly coming back to reality. 

Don pointed to the scanner on the wall next to the door, “Retina scan,” he muttered.

Leo then spun their captive around so she faced the door and held her upright, “Look at the scanner,” he demanded. But her head flopped over in defiance and Mikey jumped in to help. He took her jaw and held her head so it was parallel with the device, but she kept her eyes closed. With both Leo and Mikey having their hands full, Don simply reached for Cassie’s broken arm and squeezed close by her shoulder, causing her to groan and her eyes shot open. A blue light emitted from the scanner and zeroed in on her eye and the door popped open. Nothing was inside and they moved on to several more doors, finding a lot of empty cells until they reached a room with a large console and two men controlling it. There was a shout from one of them and Mikey and Don quickly took them out, sending kicks and punches to their stomachs and stuffing them into a closet. 

Don looked over the computer console. “This is the security system.”

“Why would they put the security system in the basement with the patients cells?” Leo asked.

“Did you see how old this building is? Decades ago, this property was a standard industrial plant. Rooms are closer together down here and Sacks bought it out years ago and added several stories, but never remodeled the basement. Probably a cover-up so he can conduct illegal experimentation here while the corporate floors above ran legal productions. Anyone who came downstairs without proper structural knowledge or business training would never recognize a problem.” He then tapped quickly on the panel and the screen brought up images of several rooms. He viewed each individual picture and determined three rooms were in use. “I’m pretty certain Bethany is in lab number 16. I can see a shadow in the background and a headful of brown hair behind a curtain. Cell number 23 is also in use, but it looks like a kid and an adult.”

“These cameras suck,” Mikey said.

“They’re old, probably from the 80s. Anyways, I’m most certain there is a man with a gun in that room with the kid. Mikey, can you check out that cell? I don’t like what’s going on there.” 

“How will I get in the cell?” 

Don grinned, “Shutting down the security system now. All doors will automatically unlock and the cameras are now off. I’ll be destroying all recorded footage as well.” 

Leo dropped Cassie on her rear next to Donnie’s feet and he retrieved the roll of duct tape and quickly tied her legs tighter so she couldn’t get far too fast. “I’ll go after Bethany, catch up to me when you’re done here Donnie. I’ll probably need the backup.” 

The three brothers nodded at one another and went in their separate directions. Mikey charged down the hall towards cell 23. There was no way he was going to let some asshole harm a child. Once the door came into view, Mikey was startled by another guard, who was scrambling through the halls wondering why security was shut down. 

When he saw Mikey, he shouted, “Intruder!” Then he raised his weapon and began firing at the creature, causing it to turn around and kneel.

Michelangelo groaned, having been discovered because this meant more trouble. His shell kept him safe from the damage. The guy was firing like a mad man and it wasn’t until the bullets stopped that Mikey made a move. He withdrew his nunchucks for the first time during this mission and raced to the guard before he could reload. A strike to the face and chest brought the guard to the cement floor. His nose had to be busted after that hit. Mikey had no where to hide the unconscious fool and picked up the gun. He disposed of it in an old garbage chute and raced to the cell. He bust through the door and spotted the child standing in the corner of the room with the adult nearby. 

Startled, the guard opened fired and the child screamed and huddled in fright. Then Mikey charged inside, taking a few bullets to the torso, but none passed through the tough exterior of his plastron. He leapt into the air and brought his foot down hard, but not before feeling a bullet pass through his calf and he sloppily crashed down on top of the guy. The pain in Mikey’s leg was intense, but he carried on. He’d landed so hard, that the guard was out cold from the tackle. Mikey struggled to his feet and looked down at his leg. The damage didn’t look too bad, but he’d likely need stitches. At least the bullet went all the way through and it was a pretty shallow wound. “All superficial!” Mikey cheered and he quickly tore a piece of his sweater and wrapped it around his leg, tightening it to staunch the blood flow. Then his attention fell on the scared child in the corner, who was crying. Mikey got down as best he could on one knee and put away his weapons. “Hey there little guy,” he said softly.

The child didn’t respond so he more prodding. “Are you hurt?” He glanced over what he could see of the boy and nothing noticeably injured. The boy still didn’t respond, but he did lift his head slightly to peek at the stranger. “Hey kiddo,” Mikey greeted. He saw the child’s eyes and most of his face. He had brown hair and blue eyes…almost looked like…

Then it hit! But he still was unfamiliar to the child, so he gently asked, “Is your name Luke?” which got Mikey a nod and he asked another question, “Is your mommy named Bethany?” received him a second nod and then Luke peered at the odd person. 

“Do you know where my mom is?” Luke asked sadly. 

“I’m looking for her too, just like you. You know, if you want we can look together,” Mikey said. He scooted a little bit closer to Luke, “Whaddya say?” 

“Why are you so funny looking?” 

It was an innocent question and Mikey was surprised the child did not screen and run away like humans in the past have done. “Well, I’m not much different from you, just have green skin and a shell and…”

“Like a turtle?” 

Mikey grinned, “Yeah, like a turtle…I am a turtle!” He saw that Luke had a slight smile upon his face. 

“I saw a picture of you.” 

Then Mikey frowned, “A picture?”

“In another room here. There’s four. It’s you in one and three more in the other pictures.” 

Mikey wondered if photos were taken of them years ago when they were first taken by Sacks and nearly drained out. For now, he would deal with their mission and get this child someplace safe. “Well I’d like to see those pictures soon, but for now I want to take you to your mom. Would you come with me?” 

At first, Luke was hesitant, but he pulled himself up against the wall, “What about the bad guys?” 

“I’ll take of the bad guys. Right now, I want you to think only of your pretty mommy.” 

“Do you know where my dad is?” Luke slowly padded across the cold floor and just a foot away from Mikey.

“I don’t. But we can find him too.” Mikey then held out his hand, waiting for Luke to take it. The child was scared, but seemed to calm down enough to accept the gesture. He then led Luke towards the cell door and before leaving, Mikey checked the hallway for enemies. It was clear and he kept Luke by his side as he guided him safely away from the cell. 

_________________________________________________________

 

On the other end of the compound, Bethany was still lying upon the table, restrained and only semi-conscious. Her mind was blank, but her body felt pain and there was nothing she could do since the medicines kept her motionless and weakened. There was a burning sensation in her stomach and chest, but she couldn’t complain nor cry out for help. The scientists and guards were pacing back and forth, chattering about the experiment and something about preparing to draw the blood in the next hour. It was impossible for her to open her eyes and see what they were doing. However, she heard a shout and then the room was suddenly filled with gunfire. Tears started leaking from her eyes as she was certain she’d never wake up at this point. 

The guards were firing at the intruder, who happened to be a past experiment. Stockman recognized the attacker, “It’s one of the turtles! Tranquilize him if you can!”

The shots flew all around the room as Leo dodged and fought off the men wielding weapons, taking them out one by one. There was no mercy and he’d slice an arm or two off here and there and even drove a sword into an enemy’s eye. The scientists present were not armed, but terrified and looked to Stockman for instructions, but he was busy pulling a kit out of a cabinet. It was filled with tranquilizers and a dart gun. He wanted the turtle specimen alive since its blood was another part of the code for biological warfare. He prepped up the dart gun and fired one at the giant turtle, which missed. 

Leo flipped over a lab table, knocking its contents to the floor and causing the scientists to back up into a corner. There were some toxic chemicals contained in those phials and getting on their skin or clothes could be disastrous. Next, Leo threw a sword directly between the eyes of Stockman’s personal guard, killing that man instantly and he yanked the sword out of his skull. Then he approached the group of remaining scientists, with Stockman still at the front, the gun held ready to fire. He released the final two darts, which Leo easily reflected with his swords. There wasn’t anything else the humans could do with all the guards dead. 

Leo firmly commanded, “If you value your life, get out…”

Some of the group didn’t need telling twice and they filed out of the lab, except for Stockman. He took a once over of Leo, “I will have you for my experiments. Make no mistake because I will find you and complete the project my father never could.”

The small speech did not phase Leo one bit and he pointed his blade at the human’s face, but Stockman remained unflinching. “Get. Out. Now,” Leo repeated and he watched as Stockman slowly stepped around the overturned tables and bodies of his men before disappearing out the door. 

Having cleared the room, Leo began looking for Bethany and he pushed away several rows of curtains before finding her and he averted his eyes almost immediately. The poor woman was stripped bare, tied down, and by the looks of it, asleep. He sheathed his swords and immediately went to work tearing down one of the curtains when Donnie finally arrived. 

“You found her?” Don asked, jogging inside the room and skipping over the dead. He went right up to Bethany and immediately started assessing her. He quickly scanned her body for injuries and removed the tubes in her arms. Then he produced a tiny flashlight from his utility belt and pushed back one of her eyelids. “She’s sedated…heavily.”

Leo approached, carrying the long white sheet and he folded it twice before draping it over her body and gathering her up. She hung limply within his arms. “Where’s Mikey?” 

“I haven’t seen him yet. Hopefully he found the other cell and took care of it,” Don replied. He was still checking over Bethany, “I can’t do a proper exam here. We gotta get her home.” 

Both Leo and Don pushed through the lab door, only to be greeted with another guard armed with a rifle. Donnie was about to take out the man before he could get a shot off, but a pair of flailing nunchucks hit the guy in the head, knocking him unconscious and Don spotted Mikey at the other end of the hall.

“Did I miss the excitement?” Mikey asked. 

“You’re just in time to help us escape. It won’t be long before the rest of security realizes the computer system has been tampered with. 

“Rodger,” Mikey said and he quickly picked up Luke and carried him towards the others. He collected his weapon as Leo inspected the child clinging to his little brother. 

“Is that the kid from the cell? Where’s his parents?”

“You’re holding one of them,” Mikey said and he adjusted his grip on the boy, “Guys, this is Luke. Bethany’s son. They were using him against her.” 

Leo groaned, “Figures. Anyways, let’s get out of here and we can discuss our next move later. Stockman is not finished with us, I’m afraid.”

“Surprised you didn’t kill him like you did his guardsmen,” Mikey said as he took off in a run towards the stairwell. 

“He was unarmed,” Leo admitted. “I can’t kill an unarmed individual. My honor code…”

The trip back upstairs was even faster than breaking into the building, but the security guards remaining were scattered throughout and the turtles had to take out another three before they reached the top. 

“What about my daddy!” Luke cried as Mikey carried him out of the emergency exit and jumped across the roof, landing on the adjacent building. 

“He wasn’t with your mother. We’ll have to find him next time. It was too dangerous to stay,” Mikey said and he continued to the next building, Leo, Don, and the unconscious Bethany in tow. They were cautious as they traveled, making sure nobody followed them to the sewer system. Here, they were able to cut the pace in half and walked the remainder of the way. 

Luke had fallen asleep in Mikey’s arms and Bethany never woke up once. But once they reached the lair, Mikey put the youngster in his room to sleep. He wrapped the child in a fluffy comforter and even let him cuddle a stuffed bear while Mikey crashed on the floor.

Don insisted that Bethany be put in his lab immediately so he could check her vitals. It was here that Raph had finally joined the party and probed his brothers with questions, even yelling at them for forcing him to stay behind. Leo quickly put Raph in his place, shouting at him about his punishment. There wasn’t a whole lot any of the turtles could do for Bethany until she awakened and they made her as comfortable as possible, keeping her warm, and Donnie even hooked her up to an I.V. so he could rehydrate her. 

There was so much work to do, but Don was exhausted and Leo had already fallen asleep on the living room couch, not bothering to put away his weapons after the long fight. After doing a thorough check, Don wound up passing out over his desk, leaving Raph alone with Bethany. He planned to watch her. After seeing how hard his brothers worked to save her, the least he could do was make sure she survived the night. He could leave the lab in the morning so not to frighten her. 

While he watched her sleep, he studied her face. She had a great bone structure and supple cheeks. Her matted hair was still the lovely brown color he remembered. That night, when he touched it, it felt like a soft and silky blanket. Raph shook his head. Why was he having flashbacks of that night? He’d hurt her and should not be trying to remember that moment in history with fondness. He sat down in a spare chair of Donnie’s and only checked on her every couple minutes, but it was so late that he didn’t realize he also was growing tired, but not like his brothers. They would probably sleep through the day tomorrow. He shut his eyes, unable to keep them open for much longer and eventually drifted off to sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Change and brotherly sparring...

Her body shook and trembled as she slowly came to. Bethany’s nose filled that very familiar mossy and sewage scent and her eyes popped open, but the second they did, she felt disoriented. Her stomach and chest was still burning, but she quickly sat up in panic. Was she still being experimented on? She attempted to focus her eyes on a spot on the wall, but it did no good and she started hyperventilating. 

The squeaks and groans she produced jarred Raphael out of his sleep and he blinked several times before seeing the girl. She was sitting upright, holding her stomach and her eyes were shooting back and forth, as if she had no control over then. He jumped to his feet and quickly approached the bed. There was no reaction from her so she must not have been able to see him properly. 

Bethany could sense someone was near, but she was so dizzy that it was impossible to tell who. Judging by the smell, she figured it was one of the turtles. She was grateful to be out of Stockman’s lab, but she was still wary of them and suddenly a frightening thought crossed her mind, “Luke!” she cried out. “Where’s my s-son…my baby!”

Raph touched her shoulder in an attempt to calm her down, but did not speak. She flinched at first, but ignored the gesture, still calling for her son. Her arms flew up and around as she started screaming. “J-just calm down,” Raph said, but it did no good. She continued her cries and pleaded for her boy. 

As Raph continued to try, his brother Don was rudely awakened by the ruckus and groggily pulled himself out of his chair. 

Seeing that Bethany was in a state of shock and fear, Don quickly prepared a temporary sedative that would force her muscles to stop convulsing. “Hold her arms,” he instructed Raph. Once the syringe was ready, Don jogged to Raph’s side and quickly injected Bethany. 

Only a minute or two went by before she started feeling her limbs grow heavy and then the person holding her arms laid her back against the pillow. 

“What happened?” Don asked. 

“Not sure. I was woken up by her too. She was screamin’ for her kid,” Raph replied.

They were both distracted by her gentle sniffs and mumblings, “My boy…I w-want my boy…” 

“Maybe we should bring the kid down?” Raph suggested.

“Yeah, I agree. I just don’t want him to stress out over…oh shit!” Don said and quickly rushed over to the bedside. Bethany had begun heaving and he quickly turned her over onto her side. “Raph, grab my garbage!” 

In a flash, Raph had his hands on the can and rushed over to her. Don tilted Bethany’s head slightly so she could get it all out of her system and into the trash, which Raph held bravely. Donnie held back her hair as she retched. When it was over, Don kept her on her side with her face near the edge of the bed and a new can on the floor, just in case. 

“Geez, poor girl,” Don muttered and he placed his hand on her forehead, “She’s hot. All that experimentation really took its toll on her. For now, let’s keep her son with Mikey until she can keep her stomach under control and we bring down this fever.” 

While Raph and Don continued discussing the child, Leo had popped in the lab, rubbing his eyes and yawning, “What’s goin' on guys?” 

“We’re trying to figure out what to do next. I’m almost sure that Stockman put something in her system and her body’s not taking well to it. But now that I have her, I’m going to do that blood test while she’s relaxed,” Don said and he went over to his desk to start procedures for a draw. 

Leo approached the side of the bed and studied her, head to fingertips. She was still covered up by that curtain he took from Sacks. “We should clean her up.” He then saw something unusual about her fingers, “Hey Don, do her fingers look a little blue to you?”

Normally, blue fingers was a bad sign and Don rushed over to the bed to inspect her face. Her head fell back on the pillow, but she was still breathing. He then picked up one of her hands. Leo was right, there was a bluish tinge surrounding her fingernails and spreading towards the first knuckle. “Odd.”

“What is it?” Raph asked. 

“I’m not really sure, but I’ll take a wild guess. When I was hacking the security system last night, I found files about us and project Renaissance. Plus there were some sub-projects where a little bit of the mutagen they extracted from us years ago was saved. They extracted the mutant gene and mixed it with other cold blooded animals. The proteins fused and Sacks put them into cryogenic freeze for later use. From what Cassidy let on, they may have opened the project back up. It’s listed under ‘Project ML.” 

“Did you destroy the files?” 

“Of course. I don’t want any trace of us or the project falling into anyone’s hands. But I somehow believe I’m going to regret doing that, especially with this new development.” Don held Bethany’s hand up and his brothers noticed the blue had spread to her second knuckles. “I’m really hoping I can make a counter drug without any information from the project.” He gently put her hand back down on the bed and Bethany groaned again. She had coughed a few times and started heaving again, to which Don quickly picked up the can and waited for her to finish. But her stomach was empty, so nothing came up. “I’m going to take the trash out before it stinks up the lab…well more so than usual. Watch her.”

Leo nodded and took a seat in Don’s chair while Raph remained in his corner. It was a very awkward silence. In fact it was driving Raph crazy so he broke the ice first.

“So…last night, you guys destroyed the lab?”

Leo looked at his brother, “Yeah, yeah…well not really. Just took out some guards with guns, scared a few scientists, rescued her and her son, same old day in the life of a ninja turtle. Didn’t expect her to be so sick though.” Clearly something was bothering Raph again, but Leo was contemplating not asking why. He feared another admission of something terrible, but Raph’s been at home the last few days, so he figured what the hell? “Somethin’ else up?”

“Yeah. I just…Leo, if something happens to her, I’ll never recover from this. It’s my fault she was abducted and why she’s so sick. I fucked up big…”

Seeing how pathetic and regretful his brother looked, Leo felt a little remorse for being so tough on him, but its the only way Raph learns. “Raph, Don’s going to do everything he can to make sure she gets better. For now, you just focus on how you can improve your relationship with her or at least ask her for forgiveness. I’ve mentioned before that it will be hard, but it’s possible. I’ve been seeing how hard this is for you, so I’m offering my help since we’re brothers. I’ll do my part to help her understand that you’re not as bad as you seemed that night.”

“Really? I appreciate that…I just, I’m no good at this shit. Thanks bro…” Raph said, glad that Leo was talking to him again without a harsh tone. He then eyed his sais in Leo’s belt for a moment, but veered away when Leo caught him.

“You still need to earn those back. I know it isn’t your strength to be extremely patient, but don’t try to rush it.” 

“Right.”

There was a bit of movement on the table and both turtles stopped talking in favor of seeing what Bethany would do. Leo had a bucket nearby just in case, but this time she got up on her elbows and blinked a few times. 

“I c-can’t…stop my eyes…” she moaned.

Leo was by her side in an instant, “Can you see?”

“Spinning…” 

Leo took a quick look at her pupils, they were moving back and forth rapidly. “Okay, keep your eyes shut for now so you don’t get dizzy or sick again.”

“Who are y-you?”

“It’s Leonardo, remember? Large talking turtle with the blue bandana?” 

Her shoulders relaxed a bit and she shut her eyes as requested, “I remember you…” she whispered. 

“Good, then you know that we won’t hurt you. You’re safe with us.” Leo patted her on the shoulder gently. 

“My stomach…feels, ugh…” she whimpered.

“Are you going to throw-up again?” Leo asked, preparing to run for the bucket if need be.

“No, its burning…like my chest.” She pulled herself upright and placed a hand over her sternum. “Here.”

“Donnie’s gonna look at you when he comes back. We’ll get to the bottom of this. Do you remember what Stockman did to you?”

She tried to think, but it was very fuzzy. “They stuck me…some ugly green and brown liquid.” Then she remembered something else; the face of her dead ex and she gasped. “Carson! They killed him! And my son! Where is he?!” 

“Calm down, your son is safe. He’s here with us. Mikey is looking after him,” Leo explained. 

“I want my son…” she pleaded. 

Donatello returned with the empty trash can and slid it back under his work desk. “I see she’s awake. How are you feeling ma’am?” 

“Please, my son!” she begged. 

The three turtles looked at each other before Don finally said, “Raph, why don’t you go get-“

“No!” she cried, “Not him…”

That was a strike to the gut and Raph looked defeated. It was going to be a long process to fix his mistake. Instead, Leo went out to fetch Mikey and have him bring Luke down. He found his little brother with the child in the kitchen; both eating a bowl of cereal. The boy looked up at Leo and then to Mikey.

“Remember Leo? He’s my big brother,” Mikey said and he smiled. 

“Bethany is asking for her son. When he’s ready, bring him to the lab.”

“Momma!” Luke cried out and he flew out of his chair and took off running, not really knowing where he was going. 

“Wish I had that kid’s energy today!” Mikey said and he leapt out of his chair to chase down the child. 

“You have no idea, Mikey…” Leo chuckled and he followed. Mikey was busy catching the boy, who appeared to be in a much happier state now that he had a playmate. He screeched when Michelangelo caught him and hoisted him up over his shoulder. They were both laughing and heading towards the lab. 

Leo held the door open to allow Mikey inside and then Luke spotted the other turtles and grew quiet. He was curious to know about them since he only saw pictures, but that could wait because he spotted his mother lying on a bed between them.

“Mom!” Luke squealed and started to climb down Michelangelo’s shell before landing with a plop onto the floor and running to her side. 

“Luke!” she cried and held out her arms, despite her pain.

Luke pulled himself up on the bed and crawled into her arms, where she embraced him tightly. “Oh my god, I thought the worst when Stockman took you from me…” She had some tears well up, but refused to let them fall. Surprisingly when the moisture hit her eyes, she could sense a difference in their movement. It slowed down. “I need eyedrops! My eyes are returning to normal and I want to see my son!” 

Don quickly dug through his first aid kit and produced a saline solution. “Tilt your head back.” While Bethany held her son, Don gently lifted her lids and put several drops in each. It stung a little bit, but quickly went away and she blinked profusely until she had about half their normal clarity. When her son’s face was easier to see, she hugged him and planted a kiss on his forehead. Then, as best as she could muster, she gave the turtles her first words of gratitude.

“Thank you…for getting my son back to me…and for saving my life.”

“You’re welcome,” Leo said. It was a push in the right direction and now that a connection had been established, perhaps Raph’s chances of making peace with her were better. Plus Donnie may have a shot at a blood draw without hassle.

“Momma, why are your hands blue?” Luke blurted out as he touched her fingers.

“Hm, what?” Bethany was confused. “My hands?” 

“Yeah, did you do finger-painting today?”

That got her looking at her palms and she saw her skin had darkened a lot, but her vision was still fuzzy. “What the…” she muttered and tried rubbing whatever it was stuck to her fingers. It wasn’t coming off. “How did my hands…?” She was careful not to panic in front of Luke.

“We’re not sure yet, but I would like to find out,” Don said. He was putting on a pair of gloves and dragged a tray table by her bed. “If you would consent to the blood draw this time, I may be able to help you.” He then took a chair, rolled it up bedside, and sat down to await her decision. “If you’re not wanting to, then we’ll do our best to keep you comfortable.” 

Bethany groaned. She couldn’t go out into public with hands like this! In fact, it looked as though the blue was spreading little by little. At this point, her wrists were slowly turning. There was no way she’d ever go back to the labs either or seek help with a doctor. What would they know about mutagen and blue hands? She’d be an experiment all over again! Better to bite the bullet. “All right, go ahead.”

Don smiled. “Good, we’ll do this now then. Your son will have to be off the bed though. We don’t want a shaky surface.”

Bethany brushed her fingers through her son’s hair, “Why don’t you hop down for a bit, honey.” At first he wouldn’t go, but Mikey promised to play video games with him if he left the lab. Bethany was comfortable with letting Luke go and she said she’d see him afterwards. When the pair left the room, Raph and Leo decided they weren't really necessary and went out to practice in the dojo for a while, leaving Don and Bethany alone. He had the needle ready and three sterile tubes set aside for the draw. He cleaned up a part of her arm with alcohol and found a vein. 

“Good spot, nice big vein makes this easy.” He then pressed the needle against her skin and inserted it. 

She only flinched slightly and turned her head so she didn't have to see her blood filling the first tube. As he continued, she looked over her other hand and wondered if the spreading would stop. It was slightly past her wrist now. If her hands were turning, was there any other part of her turning color as well? She reached for the bottom of the sheet, curtain, whatever she was wrapped in and tugged up the bottom to see her toes. Her eyes widened when she was greeted with blue feet. In fact the coloring was a tad darker in some spots, almost as though her skin was thickening. 

Don noticed her feet as well, but he ignored it for the moment so he could finish up. When the third tube was full, he carefully withdrew the needle and placed a piece of gauze on the tiny hole. “Hold this down for a few minutes.” 

“My stomach still feels like its on fire and my chest too. It’s like, someone poured a bunch of chemicals down my throat and now they’re eating away at my insides.” 

“Hm, I can do an ultrasound if you want. See if anything is up,” Don said as he put the three tubes into a rack and placed them near his microscope. “I don’t know if anything will show up on it. Or I can give you a pain killer.”

“The pain killer sounds good.” 

__________________________________________________________

Raph had taken a fall and landed relatively hard on his ass. His sparring session with Leo was rough, like always, but the guilt he carried was a huge distraction. 

“C’mon Raph, you’re not focusing,” Leo barked.

“Hard to focus when my opponent’s got my weapons!” 

“I already told you how to get them back.” Leo leapt at his brother and brought his wooden sword downwards in a hard strike. 

Raph quickly rolled out of the way, “It just ain’t the same…”

“I know you got this, Raph!” Leo encouraged and dodged a swing from Raph’s staff. “It just takes patience and I know you’ve grown more patient throughout the years! Don’t let this incident cause you to regress!” 

They clashed together in a fight of strength. Who would back down first?

“Every day that goes by, I lose a piece of myself! You have no idea what that’s like! To commit an act so heinous that it eats ya alive!” Raph shouted. 

“So what’ll you do about it?” Leo asked. “Mope? Smash down doors until you feel better? Dad always said your anger would destroy you! Figure out how to make peace!” 

“Leo, she won’t even look at me! How can I fix it?!” He pushed forward, making Leo’s feet drag across the tatami.

Leo ground his feet into the floor and halted Raph’s advance, “Stop doubting yourself!” He shoved his sword and pushed Raph away, “If you keep that up, you’ll waste away in despair. I promised you, Raph! I promised I would do what I can to help. You just need to follow through on my word. Show her that you are more than deviant!”

Then Leo leapt through the air and slammed his sword down, hitting Raph’s staff with massive force and causing it to break in two pieces. But the fight wasn’t over just yet. If anything, this helped as Raph was used to fighting with two smaller weapons. He continued his attack on Leo, treating the two sticks as though they were his sais. It seemed to work a lot better for him, but he still really wanted his own weapons back. “I am not a deviant!”

“Good! I know you’re better than that!” Leo agreed, glad to see this “pep talk” was taking a more positive turn. “Show her exactly what you’ve shown your brothers all these years! That you’re an honorable ninja and comrade!” 

Raph smashed his sticks against the wood sword and they deadlocked once again and he pushed even harder, trying to force his dominance over his brother. It was strange, Leo was putting in a lot of effort during this sparring session, but most of the battle was chit-chat. Leo was training his mind. Normally they only shouted insults at one another during a fight, but this was more of a conversation. It was now that Raph realized he could use his physical strength all he wanted, but that was what got him in trouble in the first place. He overpowered Bethany and took advantage of her and now he was doing the same to Leo, trying to overtake him and win this match. It was all about posturing…

Raph knew he had a lot of physical strength, but it was time to muster his mental and emotional strength. He then let up on Leo, pulling out of the fight, “I get it. I’m my own enemy, bro. Every time I’m faced with a problem or overcome with emotion, I either beat the hell out of the problem or bury it in anger. I guess I was so angry with what I couldn’t have, that I went out and took it. I stole someone else’s security and ruined them.”

“Raph, do you know how I cope with my problems?” Leo asked. 

“I figured you meditated,” Raph replied.

“Well, that’s one way. I did that frequently when dad was around and for a few years after, until maybe the last ten years. When I became overwhelmed with thoughts and emotion, I started keeping a journal and then turned some of those thoughts into stories. Then I went about and found a free website to publish a few. What I found interesting is that people liked my plots because they were entertaining or helpful. I like that I can remain anonymous and help people at the same time. You know, one of my readers actually attempted suicide once and she read one of my stories once she left the hospital. Now she’s turned her life around and is mentoring teenagers who’ve attempted suicide as well. Now I occasionally type articles for blogs that help people or give advice. It gives me a little income as well.” Leo chuckled. 

“That is so you to be given people advice or wisdom. I don’t think I’d be too good at writing,” Raph said.

“You don’t have to be. Just getting it all down on paper helps. If you don’t want to write, you could try something else. Maybe drawing? You did draw when you were a kid and sculpted a bit. Remember your self-portrait?”

Raph remembered the wooden sculpture of himself fondly, “Been a while since I made one of those.”

“Get back into it,” Leo said. Maybe it’ll give you some direction and who knows, maybe Bethany appreciates art. Doing something you admire might show her that you have compassion.”

“Yeah, I think I may get back into some art. May as well live up to my namesake.” Raph nodded. Art would get his mind off his problems, but something else was still bothering him a bit. He was a bit nervous, but since Leo was in an advisement kind of mood, he figured he’d just get it over with. “Ya said ya wrote to help get your mind back on track…”

“Yeah.”

Raph swallowed hard, “Does it work when your body starts makin’ demands?” 

It was definitely not what Leo expected to hear and he had to think for a moment. He hoped that Raph was referring to a martial lesson or something about their training. He took a breath, “Y-you mean…like ninjutsu-wise?” 

“No…I don’t.” This was really hard to clarify, but Raph did his best, “I meant…uh, with a g-girl…please don’t make me say it.” 

Oh yes. Raph meant it that way and Leo, being the eldest, was going to give the best advice he could manage in that area. “Raph, it’s definitely not my expertise, but writing it out does help…sometimes.”

“So, ya wrote about it too?” 

“Let’s just say when the moment strikes me, I develop a short story and post it under another account online.” Leo was blushing madly now, making Raph smirk.

“Heh, you wrote x-rated stories…” Raph teased. 

“What can I say, the ladies really like it and since they know I’m a guy, it makes them all the more interested. Can’t tell you how many private messages I’ve gotten for a night of company with them. Of course, I turned them all down but it doesn’t stop them from reading.”

“So online, you’re a ladies-man? Oh that is hilarious! Ya gotta let me see one of your stories! I wanna know how much kinky shit you wrote about!” He was busting a gut torturing Leo. “So let’s see! Go grab your laptop!” 

“You’re not gonna let me live this down until you’ve read one…I assume?”

“Nope! Now go get it.”

Leo rolled his eyes and decided it was better they had this chat and share some inside stories. It gave them a stronger relationship. He fetched his personal computer and allowed Raph to read one of his erotic short stories. It was super uncomfortable sitting next to his brother as he read, but he did his best to appear stoic. When Raph was reading, his eyes would occasionally widen or his jaw would drop. 

At the end of the story, Raph would never look at his brother the same way again. “Damn! Leo that was insanely hot! I didn’t think it was that possible to be that accurate or detailed without experiencin’ the real deal!”

“You’d be surprised what the internet provides.”

That made Raph grin, “And all this time I thought ya were a cold fish…” 

Leo glanced around the dojo and at the door to make sure nobody had been standing outside the door. “So let’s keep this conversation between you and me, hm?” 

Raph nodded and continued to look at the computer screen, “Hey wait, you got an instant message sittin’ here.” He then clicked on it.

“Raph, don’t!” Leo grimaced when the message opened in the side screen. There was a picture of a girl next to the message and Leo wanted to bury himself. 

“Who’s that?” 

“It’s just an online friend,” Leo said nervously and attempted to take his computer back.

Raph held it out of reach and continued to read the message out loud, “Hey there, hun! I’m looking forward to the next story. Maybe I could be of some help for the next one? Maybe this time you’d like visual stimuli…” Below that message, the girl had posted a closeup of her clothed breasts. “Oh hello!” Raph admired. “Leo, you dog! You’ve been a closet pervert?!” 

“No! It’s not like that!” Leo then tackled his brother and ripped the computer out of his hands, “I knew it was a bad idea showing you that! Now I’m really not going to live this down!”

“Keep your pants on, I know for a fact Mikey’s got fantasies and I’m pretty certain Donnie deletes his browser history every night for a reason! C’mon, you’re a guy! You can’t possibly tell me that you haven’t had urges!” 

Leo frowned and slammed his computer shut. “Fine, if it’ll make you feel better, yes, I’ve had urges and no, I’ve never acted on them. You’re the only one as far as I know. So, does this conclude our little adventure into sex-ed?” 

The whole conversation was amusing, but Raph still needed to focus on his problem. For now, he would work to distract himself by creating art and give the girl much needed space. Both turtles then silently exited the dojo.They entered the living room where Mikey was whining about his game with Luke.

“Dammit! I’m getting my ass beat by a seven year old!” Mikey cried.

“You said a bad word!” Luke told him and gave Mikey a look of disappointment. 

“Ah, right! Sorry, heh!” Mikey said, scratching the back of his head in shame.

The short conversation caused Leo to smack himself in the forehead. 

___________________________________________________

Bethany had fallen asleep with her son in her arms that night while Don continued to analyze her blood. It was well into the early hours of the morning and he was nearly finished. A good night’s rest was calling out his name. When he looked at the proteins in her blood, he saw a lot of multiplying cells; regeneration at that. It was quite impressive. 

Leo had entered the lab, having seen that Don’s light was still on. “Hey, you should get some rest,” Leo whispered. 

“I gotta finish this. It’ll drive me crazy if I don’t,” Don replied. “Not much left though. Mostly cleanup. But I did learn quite a bit.” 

“Oh?” 

Don pulled the slide away from his microscope. “Yeah. Her skin is turning blue because the cells of whatever Stockman used are regenerating. The thing is, the percent of mutagen injected into her body should have killed her, but it didn’t. I have a strong belief that Raph’s mutagen-laced semen helped keep her alive. She grew a temporary immunity to it, her body might have even rejected it, but Stockman reintroduced a more aggressive mutagen compound, a mixture of different reptilian blood types. And from what I gathered from Sack’s security system, they tested this mixture on an adult male human and he died almost immediately.”

“Wow. I don’t understand how the male human would have died exactly, especially if he was healthy to begin with,” Leo pondered.

“It’s like getting a flu shot. Raph basically set up Bethany’s body with dormant mutagen cells. She built up tolerance for it and when Stockman gave her the injection, her body fought back, but the side effects are becoming apparent.” He walked over to the bed containing their guests and carefully lifted the freshly washed sheet. Then he shined a dim light on Bethany’s arm. Almost the entire limb was colored blue and there were splotches of teal on her shoulders. “The cells are not going to stop regenerating,” Don said, sadly. He placed the sheet back down. “And there is nothing I can do to cure it…

“Nothing?” 

“Nothing. A retro-mutagen is impossible for this type of mutation. It’s attacking her muscle tissue, her skin, and her bone structure at a rate that is so quick that any counter drug I attempt to give her to slow it down fails. This type of regeneration would eat through the cells of retro-mutagen in a split-second. I can’t cure her. Also, the human that died at the lab, that was Bethany’s ex…”

Leo peered down at the child Bethany held. Luke would not have a normal life at this point and he took pity. 

The two turtles had finished for the night and Don figured he’d sleep in his room for once. Most of the time he fell asleep in the lab, scrunched up into some odd position. He cleared away all pieces of his equipment and followed Leo out to get some much needed rest. What they never heard was the tiny sniffles and cries coming from Bethany’s bed. 

She wasn’t able to get much sleep and overheard Don talking. So she would be permanently disfigured. Her tears couldn’t be stopped and she held her son close, praying for a solution that could never come…


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pain and suffering

There was a loud scream in the lab, waking all of the turtles at the same time. As fast as they could, the turtles rushed into the lab, not wearing more than a pair of shorts or pajama bottoms and they saw Bethany lying on the bed, screaming. Luke was on the floor, curled up in a little ball, hands over his ears, and crying.

Michelangelo rushed in and picked up the child while Don and Leo attempted to help Bethany. Raph couldn’t do anything at all for fear of making it worse, but he watched as his brothers took control of the situation, or tried to anyways. 

“Bethany, what’s happening? Talk to us!” Don encouraged, a bit worried, but trying to put on a comforting approach. 

She screamed again and her hands began rubbing furiously at her lower back. “It hurts so much! My back!”

“Is that the only place?” Don asked and he had no choice but to pull down the sheets to get a look at her. He gasped with what he saw. Almost all of her body was covered in teal-blue coloring and now she appeared to have thickened skin. When his eyes fell to where her hands were, he saw something unexpected. “Leo…”

Leonardo approached the other side of the bed and glimpsed at what Donnie was fixated on. “What the hell?”

Sheer curiosity brought Raph closer to the bed and he leaned over to look as well. 

Bethany’s lower back was in so much pain because her spine was partially protruding right above her rear. Her skin was bleeding and every time her hands passed over the wound, she smeared more blood up her back and down her buttocks. Don had grabbed her hands and stopped them from doing more damage.

“Bethany, just relax for a second. I’m gonna stop your pain. Try not to touch,” Don said. He didn’t waste time in running to his sink and washing his hands. Unfortunately, she couldn’t keep from touching and Leo had to take her hands and press them to her sides. Don returned to the bed, hands gloved and holding a small bottle and needle. He was preparing a syringe to ease her pain, “This is the strongest medicine I have in my arsenal. It will last for hours.” He dropped the small bottle on the nearby tray table and had Leo step aside. Carefully, he tipped her so that her hip was facing him and he pushed the needle into her skin, close to her rear. “Give a couple minutes. You’ll feel better.” He withdrew the syringe and gently rubbed around the tiny hole with his thumb. 

Luke was still crying and Mikey did his best to keep him calm. “Don’t worry, momma’s gonna be okay. See? She’s already feeling better.” 

“Why is she hurting so much?!” Luke asked. “I don’t like it!” 

“Donnie’s doing everything he can to help.”

A couple minutes went by and Bethany finally become quiet. She moaned her relief and brought her hands up to see them stained with blood. “I’m bleeding…” Her panic rose, but Leo had already started calming her down.

Donnie had already grabbed the first aid kit and quickly started treating her. He wiped away a lot of the blood on her rear and upper torso before grabbing a clean piece of cloth and moving around the exposed bone. As he applied peroxide, he could literally see the bones as they expanded and lengthened. Plus there was new muscle developing and cartilage. What was going on? “This is so unusual…” he said and gently touched the new addition to her body.

“What is it?” Leo asked. He was gently squeezing Bethany’s hand as she tried to relax. 

“I can actually see the growth develop. It’s getting longer and almost passing her rear. I can tell it’s her tail-bone, but the only way to really know for sure is to x-ray. But I can’t do that until this stops otherwise I’ll get a blurry picture.” He watched the muscle around the bone thicken. 

Leo sighed and briefly glanced at Bethany’s face. She was crying. It saddened him to see a human suffer this much, especially when she was already having such a hard life. Even worse, her son was witnessing his mother in pain after having lost his father. This family was falling apart and it if only Raph didn’t…no…he couldn’t blame his brother. Raph didn’t know that this would happen and he certainly never would purposely put a human in terrible agony. “Hang in there, Bethany.” 

Raph couldn’t take the scene anymore and he silently slipped out of the lab. She was suffering so much! It also didn’t help that her son was there. Seeing that kid in Michelangelo’s arms, crying for his mother was tearing at his heart. What if Bethany died? It would be all his fault! He stormed upstairs and into his room where he slammed his door shut and bust open a drawer in his dresser. He removed a knife and opened the blade before chucking it at the wall. It stuck deeply into the old brick and he repeated this several times before remembering what he and Leo discussed yesterday. Throwing and breaking things did not make him feel any better. So he quickly pulled the knife out of the wall and again dug through his drawer, removing a whetstone and looking around his room for materials. He would regularly practice with wooden posts when not in the dojo and he found some lying in the corner of his room. He picked up a chunk and brought it over to his nightstand. Then he placed the whetstone on the stand and started sharpening the knife. 

He spent a good deal of time sharpening the blade, but when it was ready he started cutting into the block, removing chunks and letting them fall to the floor before he got it down to a size and shape he desired. Then he started carefully whittling away…

______________________________________________________

 

The entire day passed and Don never left the lab, trying to keep Bethany comfortable as she moved through various stages of pain. He watched her carefully while the other turtles occasionally checked in on them both, except for Raphael. He was still in his room and not once did he come down. Michelangelo had taken Luke out into the sewers to play on a skateboard, with assistance. It kept the little guy occupied and Leo approved as long as they stayed in the safe areas where Luke couldn’t get hurt. By dusk, Mikey returned with a passed out child in his arms and he took him upstairs for bed. 

Leo was pretty impressed with how Mikey looked after the child, like a real father would. Perhaps the youngest of them would make the best daddy someday. It was about time Leo returned to the lab to see if any progress was made. Don specified wanting to do more research on Bethany’s condition. Since he destroyed the security footage, it would be difficult. However, he mentioned he might be able to hack into Stockman’s home computer and see more about Project ML. So he brought Donnie a sandwich and a bottle of water since the busy turtle had skipped meals today. 

After knocking and getting the all clear to enter, Leo stepped inside and saw that Bethany was asleep. Don had been giving her pain medicine all day and they were nearly out in stock. She was exhausted by the changes happening in her body and she cried herself to sleep. Leo put the plate and bottle down next to his brother, who was still reading his computer intently. He then moved towards Bethany to get a closeup of her face and gasped.

“I know,” Don said, not looking up form his computer. He then picked up the turkey sandwich and took a bite. He put it back down and rubbed his hands together to rid them of crumbs before taking the water bottle. Between chews he spoke a little, “Her bone structure in her face is changing…Leo, I had hoped her body would fight off the compound but, she’s mutating…”

Leo sighed. “Into what?” 

Donnie downed the water quickly and tossed the bottle in a trash bin. He cleared his throat. “Might wanna get the guys for this one.”

It must have been huge news for Don to ask Leo to grab Michelangelo and Raphael, but he jogged around the lair to each of their rooms and fetched them. The trio returned to the lab, Mikey half asleep since he’d passed out from playing with Luke and Raph was holding something in his hands and whittling away at it with a knife. He stopped with his craft and like his two confused brothers, waited for Donnie’s verdict.

He barely knew where to begin, but Don began with the pain and changes she was going through. “That extension of her spine earlier…” he began and moved towards the bed she lay on. He lifted the sheet and his brother’s faces were shocked. A very long tail was draped across her legs, teal in color and covered with scaling to match her limbs and torso. Her nude body still appeared human, but with animalistic qualities…a lot like their own except she still had her body hair, five fingers and toes on each limb, and breasts. Don rewrapped the sheet over her for modesty. Her facial structure resembled more of a beak, but she still looked like her human self. There were darker patches of teal around her joints and stripes lining her sides. Her hair had remained dark brown. 

“Oh shit…” Mikey muttered. 

Don nodded, “Yeah, oh shit. This is permanent too. She is not going to handle this well when she wakes up.” He then continued on with even more news. “So basically, she’s now a hybrid. I checked her over, ran a couple scans and tests while she slept, and I’ve determined that she’s still a mammal. The mutagen didn’t even touch her respiratory, digestive, reproductive, or nervous systems. It was meant to affect muscle, bone, skin, and everything that increases the strength or agility of a human. In females, it probably helped her agility because her muscle mass is the same, except for the tail. I looked at the projects over and over and I was definitely right. Project ML is a sub-project of Project Renaissance.”

“What does ML stand for?” Raph asked.

Don replied with, “Project Mona-Lisa.” 

“So, Stockman is now using Sack’s work to create a mutagen that will make the human race stronger?” Leo wondered.

“That’s my guess. Probably for warfare. Instead of turtles, they used lizards, particularly ones that are capable of camouflage,” Don said. “The only problem now is that Stockman hasn’t had a single test subject survive the procedure, until now. She’s the first and Stockman will probably be searching for her and us, possibly. I guarantee he’s figured out that Raph’s dormant cells is what kept her alive. We need to keep her in hiding.”

“What about her son? Her job? Her family?” Mikey asked.

Don shook his head, “I don’t know. For once, I’m at a loss for answers.” 

There was silence for a moment, at least until Don specified there wasn’t anything they could do and they should try to sleep on it. Perhaps in the morning they could figure something out. Don and Mikey had exited together, leaving Raph and Leo behind. 

The guilt was so heavy on Raph’s shoulders and he approached the side of the bed, looking over the poor woman. She looked so fragile now, even in her new appearance. 

Leo waited by the door, just watching his brother. There was no need to drag Raph out right away and figured this was part of the healing process. 

Raph sighed and looked down at the knife in his hand the wooden trinket in the other. He looked over the item, deciding it was as close to done as it could get and he did one last bit of whittling on it before placing it on the tray table next to the bed. He then turned back for the door and followed Leo out, deciding he would sleep on the couch tonight so he could be near the lab. He wasn’t sure why, but he wanted to stay close to the person he’d inflicted utmost trauma on. Was it to keep her safe? Or personal reasoning? It didn’t matter. He just wanted to make sure nothing happened to her further. Plus Leo decided to remain downstairs as well and took the other couch, so Raph would have company. 

It was very hard to sleep that night…

 

The following morning when Bethany awakened, she realized she had little to no pain remaining, but when she looked at her coloring, she got upset and ripped off the sheet covering her body. Too terrified to scream, she sat there, frozen. There was a long appendage lying across her lap and she realized it belonged to her when she followed its length from the tip to her bottom. It was a tail. Tearfully, she pushed the tail off her legs and it plopped onto the floor clumsily. She had no idea how to move it or if it even had the ability to move at all. Seeing the new body part made her wonder about her other changes. For the first time in days, she set her feet down on the floor and attempted to stand. At first the tail threw her off and she fell backwards, landing hard on her bum. 

“Dammit…” she groaned and rubbed the soreness on her rear. Carefully she pulled herself up, using the bed for assistance and she balanced herself by leaning forward to counter the weight of the tail and she stumbled through the lab until she reached Don’s desk. There had to be a mirror around there somewhere. She scrambled around the drawers of the desk until she found a reflective piece of metal. It was a fuzzy image, but she got the general idea of what her face looked like. She dropped to her knees in despair. Seeing her reflection was painful. Her face was misshapen into a beak, almost as though her nose had stretched or filled out. Her eyes remained the same dull grey-blue. Her lips were a bit larger, but not by much. At least her hair was still brown, but that did very little in cheering her up. 

After taking in her features, she threw the metal angrily and scrunched up into a ball on the floor, face in her hands, and started sobbing. There was no going back. Don said so. For several minutes she sat there, crying pathetically and wanting to rip away at the skin of her legs to see if this was all a dream and her real skin would be hiding underneath the bluish-green hues. When she could no longer cry, she decided to climb back into bed and hide beneath the sheets. She was too hideous to be exposed to the world and pulled herself back up. She climbed on the mattress and lay down. There she had a better look at her belly and chest. Though her back, limbs, and new tail had scales, the softer parts of her body remained scale-free. Her front half only differed slightly in color from her back with the inclusion of a little yellow. She inspected her limbs more closely and saw tiny hairs, the same as a human female’s body. She also noticed her dark patch of curls remained over her genitals and she retained her breasts and nipples. Not much could be done other than to pull the sheet back up and try to wake up from this nightmare. 

Once she had her head back down on the pillow, she turned her head slightly and saw a glass of water left ver from the night before and sitting next to it, a flower. Curious, she reached for the little trinket, which fit into the palm of her hand. It was made out of wood and looked hand-carved. It was a beautiful plumeria and she did love tropical flowers. She turned it over to look at the stem and saw something inscribed on the back of one of the petals…

Regret.

Was this flower left there for her? And why only the word ‘regret’ etched into a petal? She thought about it for a minute and realized only one person in the lair would be feeling regret at this time and she quickly put the flower back on the tray table. She pulled the sheet up over her head and closed her eyes. Why would Raphael leave something like that for her to find? Did he leave it as an apology? It would take more than that! Still, she had to wonder if the other turtles were telling the truth when they spoke of how honorable Raph could be and how he sometimes let his emotions get the better of him. It doesn’t make up for what he did!

It wasn’t long before she fell asleep again, too tired from crying again. It was just a miserable time for her. 

______________________________________________________________

Luke had awakened long before Michelangelo and the little boy was jumping up and down on the bed. He grew anxious and wanted to be downstairs with his mother and so he slipped out of Michelangelo’s room alone and wandered down into the lair. He spotted two of the other turtles sleeping, each sprawled out on a couch. He didn’t want to bother them and headed straight for the lab. He peeked inside and saw his mother’s form lying beneath the sheet on the bed and he scampered over. 

“Mama?” he called. When he didn’t get a response right away, he climbed up and gently shook her. “Mommy…” he said softly. 

The sheets shifted and fell slightly, revealing his mother’s new appearance. He saw her face, but did not scream. Instead he continued to shake her until her eyes opened. 

When she rubbed her eyes and saw her son’s curious face, she gasped and attempted to hide herself from him so she would not frighten him. But his little hands planted themselves on the sheets and he pleaded with her to hold him. “Momma, I miss you…”

He’d been separated from her long enough and he finally got her to let go of the cloth so he saw her entire face and arms. Then Bethany’s eyes teared up when Luke wrapped his arms around her. He wasn’t afraid and she really needed this hug. She returned his gesture and they held each other for several minutes before they were interrupted by the lab door swinging open and Donatello entering. 

“Good morning,” Don said, partially yawning and holding a cup of coffee. He noticed that Luke had come and for a moment, he wanted to shoo the boy out so he could begin work again, but instead felt a little sympathy and allowed the broken family some time. Bethany needed the connection her son gave her. Luke was all she had for the moment and why rip that away from her? Instead, Don offered to fetch them breakfast, “Can I get you both something to eat?”

“I’m not hungry yet, mom,” Luke said.

Bethany just shook her head no. “Not right now, thanks…” 

“Okay then. I’ll give you a couple minutes but I think it would be beneficial if we do some additional testing,” Don said while sipping his coffee. 

“I’m so tired of tests,” she complained.

Don added, “I know. But these are physical tests. No needles, promise.” He then took a seat at his desk to finish his drink and read the newspaper. 

“Okay,” she replied, glad to hear she won’t need to give more blood. She held her son tightly and wondered how this was going to work. Her son couldn’t stay in the sewers and he was supposed to be in school. Her phone was probably ringing off the hook now. Her boss probably fired her for not showing up and her landlord would be wondering why her rent payment was late. What about her belongings? She had to figure out a way to claim her stuff before the landlord takes it and auctions it. So much to worry about…

She sat with her son for nearly ten minutes before Don addressed her again and she put Luke down on the floor. As she was talking with her son about returning to the living room, Don noticed the wooden flower on his tray table and he smiled. He recognized the handiwork. So Raph was making an effort. He picked up the little trinket and saw the scribbling on the back petal. It took a lot to get Raph to express his emotions and he had his own way of showing regret or sympathy. After admiring the flower for a minute, he put it back, wondering how Bethany reacted to the gift but that was more of a private matter between her and Raph.

“Okay, Luke. Go outside and find Mikey. He’ll keep you occupied while mommy is testing,” Bethany insisted. She watched as her son hung his head, but did as he was told. 

Bethany sat on the bed while Don finished off the last of his coffee, before he began the test. 

“Why don’t you stand, let’s see how well you can move about.” Don then extended his hand, waiting for her to take it.

She gathered up the sheet and kept it wrapped around her body, but before she took his hand, Don stopped her from pulling the sheet any higher. 

Don gently touched her shoulder, “If you don’t mind, please leave the sheet off for a few minutes. I’ll be fast, but I want to do an inspection for any additional mutation and injury.”

She hesitated.

He reassured her that he’d be professional about it and so far, he always kept his word. Bethany rolled up the sheet and put it on the bed while Donnie drew a curtain, blocking the view of anyone who may enter the lab. Then he approached her and started with her face and head, occasionally pressing on a patch of skin to see if there was bruising or bleeding anywhere. He moved down her torso and legs until reaching her tail. It appeared limp and never moved once during the exam. 

“Have you been able to move your tail at all?” 

“No.”

He picked it up and moved it around a little bit. “Well there’s a lot of muscle. Probably need to strengthen it. Try giving it a shot.” 

It felt like having an extra leg to Bethany, but she was struggling to understand how to use it. “I’m trying to.” Instead of it being connected to her pelvis, it was an extension of her spine.

“Well you’re doing good right now. You got the very tip moving. Once you build up some more strength, I predict you having a fully functioning tail in a week.” He stood up, satisfied with the inspection. “You can wrap up again and I think tonight we’ll have to fetch you some clothes from your house. But, we may have to alter them since pants aren’t made for tails.”

She folded the sheet and fit it around her body, tucking the top much in the same way she did with a bath towel. “I want to go to my house too. I need to collect some things.”

“It’s too dangerous for you to go. Stockman will be looking for you and you’re extremely weakened.” 

“But, I have obligations!”

“Are those obligations more important than your life?” Don asked. He looked at her sternly, “If something happens to you, what would become of your son?” 

She sat down on the bed, “I…I don’t know. But he can’t stay down here!”

“And you can’t go up there. So you need to make this work. You have relatives on the surface, why not contact them?” 

“Are you saying that I place my son with a relative?” 

“Yes. You said it yourself, Luke can’t stay down here and you mentioned your mother is in Syracuse. Why not have Luke stay with her?” 

She was taken aback by Don’s suggestion. Give up her son? She couldn’t! “Why would you suggest I give him up?! I can’t do that!” 

“You’re his mother and whatever you choose to do is your business, but is it really fair to keep him in the sewer? Away from school? His friends?” 

“You don’t know anything about parenting!” she shouted. 

Don sighed, “Maybe right now is not the best time to discuss this. It’s been a long week. I’m not really a counselor anyways. That’s more Leo’s speed. Anyways, if you want to wander around the lair, feel free. I have no plans for the rest of the day to test you.” 

Frustrated, Bethany marched out of the lair and went directly past her son, who was busy playing with a battery-operated race car. Michelangelo crashed his own toy car into Luke’s and they shared a good laugh. Leonardo saw that Bethany looked irritated and she was storming out of the lair. He was going to chase her down and talk to her, but he wasn’t sure if she could handle a pep-talk. He let her go out into the sewers to cool off, plus she left her son behind so he didn’t worry about her taking off again. 

Bethany stepped out onto the platform in one of the sewers, not far from the lair, but relatively close to a grate where she could look up at the sunny skies. She yearned to go up there and be herself once again. It seemed all she could these days was cry. She sat down on a cold pipe, sad that she had been reduced to sleeping in the sewers. Donny was right and she knew it. There was nothing she could do for herself, but this life wasn’t fair to her son. Why should he be trapped down here? He deserved to be up there. She peered up at the sky, watching an occasional human pass over and wished for a different life.

“Lonely down here, I know…”

The familiar voice startled Bethany, but she recognized and feared it. She leapt to her feet and started to back away. She turned in the direction of Raphael and saw that he was leaning up against the brick wall, looking at the very same grate she was. “Please…just don’t-

“I’m not gonna do anything to ya. I just figured I’d…well…”

She watched him carefully. The second he moved towards her, she would run, but he was standing in the way of her only known direction to the lair. For now, she remained still and continued to listen to him. She didn’t want him to get angry, but for some reason, his demeanor was different. He was relaxed, calm, and his voice was gentle. It didn’t stop her heart from pounding, but her limbs started to relax.

Raph then spoke, “I know what you’re goin’ through. When I look up through the grates, I envy the humans. Always did, since I was a kid. The only connections my brothers and I had was the tv and pop culture. My master was terrified of letting us go to the surface because we’d get dissected or something. So he taught us ninjutsu, but sometimes it just ain’t enough, ya know? When we got older, we wanted more and more of the human world, but knew we’d get treated different. Only four of us in the world, can ya imagine bein’ one of only four mutant turtles? No interaction for the first fifteen years of ya life? Then pile on nearly two decades of bein’ alone, except for having a small handful of human friends, but nothin’ more than friends. You see your friends move on with their lives, get married, have babies, watch their kids grow…ya get jealous.”

Bethany was nearly saddened by his story and she had no reason to believe he was lying. In fact, she didn’t believe in mutants until now. She knew it must be painful for the turtles to be down here alone for most of their lives and here she was complaining about a week’s worth of time. He brought her out of her thoughts by continuing…

“You’ve been down here for some time now. It don’t take long before you start goin’ stir crazy. At my age, I got so desperate that I broke my moral code for one night of relief. I took it out on you. I regret it…I’m so sorry…”

The apology was so sincere, at least in her mind. She would need some time to decide if she could truly accept it and forgive him. 

Raph swallowed hard, hoping her reaction would be favorable. But she looked confused, as if her emotions were flying in every direction and she couldn’t choose one to assist her next set of words. 

“I..I, just…” she stammered. 

He took a step forward, but she backed away a little. He paused, not wanting her to get frightened. “No prob. Take ya time. But no matter how ya feel about me, just don’t carry the same feelings about my brothers. They’re good guys. And I’m assuming you ain’t goin’ back topside for a while, but I wanna let ya know that we’ll do whatever it takes to keep you and ya kid safe. For now, just vent.” Raph then smiled at her. It was the first time he’d done so in a while. 

Bethany closed her eyes. She felt safe, even in present company, but she may take a bit to warm up to the turtles. Plus, Luke remained unharmed and even liked them, so it said a lot about their character. Then she looked at the grate again, “I miss it…”

“I understand,” Raph replied. He then produced another wooden trinket and slowly approached, but not too close. He put the gift down on the pipe a few feet away from her. “When you’re ready to come back, don’t forget the lair’s to the left. So you don’t get lost.” 

She didn’t say anything as Raph left her alone, but she did wonder what he left on the pipe. After his silhouette disappeared into the sewer, she got up and wandered over to the gift. This time it was a tiger lily. It was so detailed and crafted with care. She turned it over and saw a new word etched on the back petal again.

Compassion.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enemy contact.

It had been a long night, but it would get longer still. Bethany was sitting up on the bed, staring at the flower Raphael had given her earlier and thinking about the short conversation they had. She was thinking about her son again and what she would do with him. He’d missed so many days of school now and it was only a matter of time before the school office would call her to find out what was going on. She needed to figure out something by morning. In her current state, she just wanted to fall apart or disappear forever. Still holding the wooden lily, she slid off the bed and slowly tiptoed past Donnie, who’d fallen asleep in his chair again. She headed for the door, still wrapped in the sheet. They had talked about visiting her home hours ago, but only Leonardo had gone, as Don thought it was far too soon for her to be gallivanting topside right now. 

She stepped out into the dim lighting of the living room and sat down on their couch. It was funny, she never used their couch before and was amused to see it made out of pizza boxes and draped over with blankets and foam. They really knew how to utilize scraps. She spun the flower around. It was very pretty and such an unusual gesture from someone who seemed harsh and uncaring during their first encounter. But he was so gentle tonight and did nothing to make her uncomfortable. Perhaps Leonardo was right. Raphael was confused and lonely, completely lost and incomplete. She set the flower in her lap and hoped that something would come to her.

The door to the lair opened, distracting her from her dilemma and she saw Leonardo return with a few large sacks. He climbed down the lair entrance and dropped the bags on the floor. Bethany stood up and wandered over to take a look at the bags. Leo greeted her.

“Hey, can’t sleep?” he asked.

“No. I’ve got too much going on up here,” she said, pointing to her head. 

“It happens. Have you ever tried meditation? I can show you if you want.” Leo carried the bags one at a time into the living room and laid them across the couch. “I hope I grabbed enough of the right stuff. We can make another trip if we have to.” 

“Thanks for doing this for me,” she said as she opened the first bag. There was a lot of her clothes and she wondered if she’d be able to fit in her outfits properly. What was really nice is that he got a little of everything, including her nightgowns. She pulled out a plain white gown and slipped it on over her head and over the sheet until it covered her legs. It was light and cool, plus it allowed her to take the sheet off. She could walk around with both arms free now. She then dug through another bag and found some of Luke’s clothes that she kept. “Oh good, Luke really needed something to change into. He also needs a bath.” 

“Well, we can take care of that,” Leo said and he sat down on the couch to relax for a bit and allow her to dig through her things. 

“I need a shower too. I feel so gross,” she said as she pulled a small green bag out of a sack and found her bathroom supplies. “Oh thank you! I really needed this.” Everything including hers and Luke’s toothbrushes were inside. 

The other bags had an assortment of things, but she decided to go through them later now that she had the essentials. But she wasn’t tired. “I suppose I should learn how to meditate. Otherwise I’ll never be able to relax again.”

Leo pulled himself to his feet and removed his swords. “Come with me.” He then led the way to the dojo, stopping briefly by the weapons wall and putting his swords away. Afterwards, he slid open a door and let her step inside first. The dojo was the most peaceful place in the lair and the walls were lined with Japanese decor and pictures. She approached one wall and saw a photo of a giant rat and the four turtles when they were children. 

“Is that…?” she began.

“That’s our father. Donnie timed an old polaroid camera to get that photo. Its the only one we have of all of us together. We’re all very close,” Leo said, fondly looking at the photo. 

They moved along to the next picture and Bethany saw a coupe of humans, a woman, a man, and two children. 

“April, Casey, and their kids. Shadow, their daughter and Michael, their son. It’s kind of funny how that worked out. Named their boy after my brother. Casey was out with Raph and they got caught up in a street brawl. April had some complications during that pregnancy and went into premature labor. Casey’s phone was smashed by a hooligan and so she couldn’t reach him. Luckily she had her shell cell and got Mikey. He raced over there and helped her deliver her son. Paramedics arrived ten minutes later and everything turned out fine. Maybe we’ll bring them and the kids down here in the coming weeks to meet you.”

“It would be nice to interact with another woman,” Bethany admitted. She no longer had Cassie. Perhaps this April would be a good friend to her. 

Leo smiled, “Shall we?” He then gestured to the thick mats settled in the middle of the tatami flooring. He sat down on the black mat, one that belonged to his master while she knelt down on the green. “You can sit with your legs crossed like mine. It’s much more comfortable, especially this time of night. And we’re not training.” 

She pulled her legs out from under her and sat down, indian-style. Her nightgown draped over her knees, but did not cover her tail and she had to manually move it with her hands until it curled around her feet. 

“Still not able to move it?” Leo asked.

“Don said I needed to build up strength. I can’t move more than the tip. It just drags behind me when I walk.” 

“We’ll work on that. Perhaps tomorrow we can train and get you stronger.”

She just looked at him and nodded, “I suppose. But I need to make a lot of decisions, especially by tomorrow. My son’s school will be calling me any day now wondering where he is and I haven’t decided what I’m going to do yet.”

“Regarding…?”

“Where he will stay. He needs to be in class with his friends, but I can’t go to the surface. Who’ll who take care of him if I can’t? I talked to Don about this, he suggested my mother. That way he’ll still be in this state, but its three-hundred miles to Syracuse and how would I ever see him? Plus my mother has no idea what happened! How will I support Luke? I feel like I’d be dumping my son! He’ll hate me!” she cried.

Leo frowned. It was quite a dilemma but he could only offer her encouraging words. “Donnie works to make a living online, so do I. Raph and Mikey have their own outlets, though they could find jobs themselves. Anyways, you could do the same. I’m sure Don could forward you some online inquiries. As for your son, I think he’s old enough to understand that you can’t go above ground. The question is, have you told him about his father?” 

Bethany gasped. She hadn’t. “Oh my god, how will I break that to him?! And the company?! I forgot about my ex’s company! The executives don’t know yet either!” She panicked and wondered how this is going to work. 

“Calm down. Everything will fall into place,” Leo said. He needed to get her mind off the turmoil in her life for the time being. She really needed to rest. Then his eye fell on the item in her lap. “What is that you have there?” he asked, hoping to change the subject.

She looked at the flower in her lap, “It’s a lily.” 

“May I see it?” Leo reached out for the trinket and she obligingly handed it to him. It was made of wood and Leo smiled, knowing where this item came from. “Very good artwork. I’m glad Raph hasn’t lost his touch.” He turned it over to look at the bottom and saw Compassion written on the back. “It’s lovely.”

“It’s the second one he gave me. The other is a plumeria. I left it in the lab. Why is he giving me these?”

“Raph is a man of little words, sometimes. He prefers to keep silent about his feelings, but there are times when something more is needed to repair a problem or a hurt relationship, like yours. He’s been keeping his distance from you, but behind the scenes, he’s really hurting. I’ve only seen him react this way twice now. Our father’s death and now this. Bethany, he’s making a very strong effort to establish a friendship with you.” He handed the flower back to her. “I’m very glad he’s taking the initiative and you also appear to be much more comfortable around him. You don’t shake as much.”

“Raph talked to me in the sewer earlier. He apologized to me, but I’m still wary.”

“Understandably so. I don’t expect everything to return to normal immediately. I want Raph to work. This is something he needs to experience; how to ask for forgiveness in the face of extreme adversity. That flower tells me a lot.” He paused, remembering the word on the petal. “Compassion. That’s what he has with you.”

She sighed, “He said he understood how alone I feel.”

“He does. Raph is very much a loner himself but I wish he wasn’t. If he’d opened up to me that night, you may still have your life. I could have helped him through his problem, but I worry that I may not be enough to redirect his loneliness. Even his best friend, Casey, can only do so much. There’s an emptiness in Raph’s heart and he sought out the wrong way to fill it.”

She closed her eyes. She was really starting to feel for Raph. “Did he choose me for a reason? He said he took his problems out on me.” 

“I don’t know why he chose you, but I do know that he looks for specific attributes in people. I know his taste in women, physically, but not emotionally. You fit his description, but he never considered your feelings. Now that he knows you…”

“He must still be trying to read me.”

“Yes. He’s trying to gauge you, slowly.”

She put the flower on the tatami so it faced her. Ready to change their topic, she asked, “Can you show me how to meditate now?” 

“Sure.” He then adjusted his feet and sat up straight. “Just straighten your back and fold your hands into your lap. Very simple, but effective. Close your eyes…”

She followed his instructions and prepared for the lesson. 

Leo continued, “Try to guide your thoughts in a different direction. Take yourself away from the pain of your losses. Find a focal point…”

She thought of her son on the day he was born. It was a peaceful time following her surgery. She remembered holding him and cuddling, the time she bonded with and nursed him. His little blue eyes peered up at her and he would coo and occasionally stick out his tongue. Her son was her pride and joy and she always would have him. Then her focal point slowly turned into a flashback, one of her favorite memories of her and Luke visiting the beach when he was five. They were sharing ice cream and building a sand castle together…a very fond memory. Then her memory slipped into a dream-like state and she was slowly moving into a rem cycle.

Leo had watched as Bethany went from attempting a meditation session to completely passing out. It worked. This one always worked with his brothers and their human friends. He saw her body slowly collapsing towards the mats and silently got up. He collected the flower on the floor and slid his hands underneath her legs and back. He carried her out of the dojo and back to the lab. He chuckled as he passed by Don, who was drooling all over a schematic as he slept. Leo then put Bethany on her bed and pulled a fresh blanket from underneath. He draped it over her. Then he placed her flower on the tray table nearby, next to the plumeria she mentioned. Afterwards, he left the lab, intending to get some sleep as well. It was three in the morning and he was very tired from the run. 

On the way upstairs, he bumped into Raphael, who almost never slept at night. He stopped at the top of the stairwell, “Good evening.”

“Hey,” Raph replied. 

There was a moment of silence between them, but Leo broke it with, “I saw the flowers. They’re well done.”

“Thanks,” Raph said. His eyes moved around nervously.

Sensing his brother’s discomfort, Leo quickly added, “She likes them. I can tell.” It got the reaction he wanted because Raph’s expression seemed to light up a bit.

“G-good. I spent a lot of time working on those. They’re small, but…”

“A very powerful gift. She told me you talked to her out in the sewer. She didn’t try to run. I’m proud of the progress you’re making. I think she’ll come around soon. Keep it up.”

“Yeah…I’m getting it now. But I don’t wanna be pushy.” 

“Always a good idea. Try making conversation again. She’s starting to see who you really are,” Leo encouraged and he passed his brother to go to his room. 

Raph returned to his room as well, contemplating what to say to her the next time the opportunity arose. He found himself dwelling on her a lot these days and strangely enough, he’d forgotten about his problems from the weeks prior. He was always looking for things to occupy his mind and keep his emotions in check, but she was bringing out newer emotions in him. He really wanted to fix the situation and see her smile, rather than watch her fall apart. He didn’t like it when she cried, which happened frequently these days. He thought about what she may look like with a big smile on her newly mutated face. He could picture her eyes bright with happiness and her cheekbones drawn back when she grinned. 

His bed called out to him and he lay down, still wondering how Bethany would decide to take her life forward. A girl like her had a lot of potential, even in her current form. She was smart, dedicated to her child, hardworking, and beautiful…

Yes…beautiful. Her hair was long and thick and a rich brown color. Her eyes were a hazy grey-blue and her lips were soft and smooth. He remembered how warm they were when they kissed. Then he closed his eyes and pictured her newly mutated body. Her skin was teal and scaly now, but did not appear rough. Her tail was long, not working properly yet, but he was most certain she’d figure it out. Then he remembered holding her hips that night…forcibly moving them against his cock. Her breasts bounced with his every thrust and her folds were blazing hot…

Raphael shot up in his bed, terrified of where his thoughts were heading. “Stop thinking about it, Raph!” he growled at himself. It was hard not to picture that night. He erased the imagery from his head and ran through katas and routines he practiced daily. This time it helped, but knowing that Bethany was downstairs made his focus wane a little. Perhaps tomorrow he could stir up a conversation and try to get to know her a little more.

_______________________________________________________

It had worked. Bethany awakened very late in the day, close to one in the afternoon and didn’t even realize it until she went out into the living room. She felt incredibly refreshed and her thoughts were much clearer. Leo must have done something to her last night that made her so relaxed that she was in a deep and cleansing sleep. 

Still carrying her blanket, she wrapped up a bit as she felt slightly chilly in her nightgown. Her son was watching tv while eating a sandwich. It was a mother day of school he was missing and she suddenly felt guilty. Here he was sitting at home watching cartoons rather than interacting with his friends. When she looked at him, she knew he needed something better and she wandered into the bathroom. Today she would make a lot of phone calls and they were not going to be pleasant. Plus she planned to tell Luke what happened to his father and she would be calling her ex’s company to tell them as well. It would be a lot of lies, but to keep herself safe.

“Morning, sleepy-head,” Michelangelo said as he left the bathroom. 

“Morning,” she greeted and gently slipped past. 

“Luke had a bath this morning. Thought you should know.”

Bethany nodded, “Okay, good. Thanks for looking after him. Today’s going to be a long day for him, so I hope this morning was very happy for him.

“He seemed to be happy, why?” 

Bethany frowned, “I have to tell him about his father and I’ve made a hard choice…I’ll tell you later.”

“Oh…um, well I…hope he handles it okay. I’m sorry for the losses by the way,” Mikey whispered, saddened as well. 

“Thank you. I know he’s gonna be all right. I’ll give him a chance to play for a bit and I’ll tell him after I make my phone calls. Keep him busy for me?”

“Sure.” 

Then she smiled and went into the bathroom to take a shower. She never used their bath before and it took a minute to figure out how Donnie had it set up. It wasn’t a standard shower and she had to start the water by turning a large valve. The water tank nearby was obviously homemade, but worked. She had the water going and it was nice and warm. She slid off her nightgown and stepped inside before closing the curtain. The water hit her skin and she felt so much better already. It was interesting, for people who lived in the sewers, they did value being clean. Just outside the curtain, her bathroom supplies could be found sitting on the floor. Michelangelo must have put them in there when he gave Luke a bath. She reached inside the small bag and withdrew her shampoo and conditioner. Her hair felt awful, but once the suds lathered up, she could tell a huge difference in her locks. They felt cleaner and her fingers ran through much easier. The conditioner helped soften up what the minerals in the water dried out. Then she pulled her razor out and decided that she could only shave her underarms since the scales all over her body were impossible to get around. It was nice though, the tiny hairs on her limbs had thinned out a lot and so shaving was not really necessary. Afterwards, she just relaxed and washed her body with a pouf before wringing out her hair. There were towels neatly folded on a shelf nearby and she grabbed one, wrapping it around herself. There was a large, cracked mirror on the wall and she got a proper visual of herself. It wasn’t so bad now, she supposed. After seeing the turtles for a few days, she grew used to their looks and frankly, she wasn’t too much different. Similar nose structure and skin, but shell-less. She still looked more or less human though. 

After drying off, she slipped her nightgown back on and wrapped her wet hair up in the towel before leaving. She wanted to carry her bags to the lab and start sorting through her things. Plus her phone was waiting for her and the dreaded calls she had to make…

Her bags were stuffed so full, but it seemed as though Leo had put a lot of thought into what he should grab for her. She found one of her long skirts and simple black blouse. It would be easy to wear, but she had to forgo underwear since they don’t make holes for tails. She’d figure that out later. But she was happy to have her bras, which gave some comfort in her appearance. Then she unwrapped the towel on her head and let her hair loose, before pulling a brush out of her bag and sending ti through her locks. One all the snarls were out, she started the long process of braiding it. Waist length hair took a little time, but the results were nice when it dried and she let out the waves. To add a nice touch, she put a small pink butterfly clip behind her left ear. It was nice that Leo grabbed her jewelry box as well so she could have some extra comforts from home.

Once she had her routine over with, she fetched her phone off Donnie’s desk and dreaded the first phone call to make, but it had to be done. She dialed for Luke’s school first.

Well over an hour had passed and Bethany had relived her tears over and over. She was correct in assuming she’d been let go at her job. Her boss was not the slightest bit pleased with her and the numbers were such a large mess in the accounting department that they hired someone to replace her and fix the problems. Afterwards, she contacted her landlord and found out that she had to either pay her rent in ten days time or she would be evicted. Afterwards, she contacted her ex’s company and told them the news of Carson’s death. In light of this news, the executive she spoke said that Luke would be receiving a large portion of his father’s shares, but he did not have any other connections with the company. Since Carson was well off, she knew that he left Luke a part of his estate and that would have to be dealt with in the courts. But she wouldn’t be able to attend. At this point, she contacted the school and gave them the excuse that Luke was in mourning for his father. It was part of the truth, but she needed to work out one more thing. Where will Luke be living?

Her final phone call was to her mother. The phone was ringing, but her mother did not answer. “Odd,” Bethany said. Her mother was almost always home since she retired and decided to sell homemade goods for fun. Her home was her business and so she was there during weekday hours. When the voicemail picked up, Bethany left a message, “Mom, it’s me. Call me when you get a chance…it’s very important I talk to you…love you.” She then dropped her cell on the bed and decided to wait for a return call. In the meantime, she needed to talk to Luke.

Her son was sitting quietly in the living room, looking at a book with Leonardo reading to him. She listened as they came close to the end of a chapter of Charlotte’s Web. 

Luke saw his mother and took the book out of Leo’s hands, “Momma! I don’t want Wilbur to die! What’s gonna happen to him?!” he cried.

“You have to wait and see, sweetheart. You’ll find out at the end of the book,” Bethany replied.

“Awe…” Luke whined and jogged back over to Leo and put the book in his lap, “Can we read more?” 

“When you go to go bed tonight, we’ll do another chapter,” Leo said. He ruffled Luke’s hair and took the book, placing a bookmark inside. He watched as the child scampered off to play with a pile of toys Mikey left out for him in the living room. Leo’s attention fell on Bethany. “So, when are you going to-

“Tonight,” she interrupted. She watched her son play and felt her heart sink. “Not looking forward to it.” 

Leo nodded. “It’s for the best.”

She said nothing else as she went back into the lab and kicked one of her bags, pissed off that she chickened out of telling her son the truth. Luke needed to know and the longer she put it off, the harder it would be. Donatello had returned to the lab as well and greeted her.

“Good afternoon,” Don said. 

“Hi,” she responded and simply sat down on her bed, back turned towards him. She wasn’t really in the mood for testing or a talkin’ to. She figured that she could make herself look busy and started digging through her bags and sorting the clothes. She folded everything neatly and put her son’s things on the other half of the bed. For some odd reason, she felt eyes staring at the back of her head and she looked over her shoulder for a moment. 

It wasn’t Don, but her son. He followed her back and he was silently standing in the doorway. She turned her whole body to face him. “What is it honey?”

“Momma, aren’t I supposed to be in school?” he asked.

This caught Donatello’s attention, but he kept his focus on the project before him as he listened. 

Bethany swallowed. “Well, yes baby. Things are just complicated right now and mommy’s trying to figure out a few things before-

“Where’s daddy?” 

The question was so innocent and Bethany was at a loss for words. Plus this was Donnie’s cue to exit and the turtle quickly picked up his notebook and left the room. 

She was at a loss for words and saw the concerned expression on Luke’s face. She had no choice but to tell him the truth now. “Come sit,” she said and patted a space on the bed. Her son slowly padded across the room and climbed onto the bed as she continued. “We have a lot to talk about…”

Well over an hour later the turtles were lounging around in the living room, watching a rerun of Breaking Bad, save for Raph who was in the dojo. Don had informed all of them of the conversation and they were wise enough to leave Bethany and Luke be for a bit. There was the sound of cries coming from the lab and the guys all felt a bit of sadness. Luke was not handling the news well, as was expected and suddenly the door burst open to the lab and a little boy came running out, hurt and upset. He ran towards the dojo and pushed on the sliding door, breaking the hinge, but squeezing through it. 

Michelangelo shot up from the couch, wanting to chase Luke and try to comfort him, but Leo stopped him. 

Bethany appeared in the lab doorway, distraught and holding a tissue. She didn’t go after Luke, knowing that she did all she could to try and comfort him, but he just needed to cry it out. She turned around and went back in the lab.

Luke on the other hand, had found himself inside a large room. He recognized it, from peeking through the door before, but did not go inside. He knew the turtles would practice in here. With tears streaking his cheeks, he slowly moved further inside and looked at all of the decor. He didn’t recognize the symbols painted on the walls, but he did see his new friend’s pictures. There was his best turtle-friend Mikey in one frame. He grew to like him a lot since they’ve met. The other pictures were family shots of all the turtles and a giant rat that he didn’t know. Luke stopped looking at the photos and decided to explore the room a bit. He set foot on the tatami mats and wandered to the center. 

There was a giant tree in the middle of the room and it was blossoming flowers. A bit of light was shining down from the ceiling where a tiny grate to the surface was located. He moved to the spot on the floor were the light touched and looked up. Still teary-eyed, he sat down and stared at the floor. 

There was a loud thump behind him a moment later, startling him and he spun around to see the burliest of the turtle brothers. Not afraid, Luke just peered at Raph.

“Hey kid,” Raph said.

Luke sniffed, “H-hi…”

“What’s the matter?” 

“M-my…d-daddy” Luke mumbled as more tears spilled down his face.

They shared the same pain, only Luke was able to express it, unlike Raph. The turtle felt pity for the child and did something that Splinter used to do when he was young and couldn’t show his emotions to his brothers. He reached down and picked up Luke, embracing him and letting the poor boy cry into his shoulder, not saying a word. Strangely, Raph felt a bit of a connection to Luke and figured it was because he was trying to fix his mistake with Bethany. Showing sympathy and a caring heart to her son could improve his chances, but he truly wanted to comfort this child. 

Raph had every intention of practicing today, but it could wait.   
________________________________________________________

 

That night, Bethany finally heard her phone ring and she practically leapt at her cell. It was her mother calling her back and she answered. “Hello? Mom?” She plopped down on her bed and waited for her mother to respond, but she was surprised when a different voice came on the line. 

“Bethany Frasier…” said a very masculine voice.

Panicked, Bethany asked, “Who are you?!”

“Abraham Stockman. I believe you know me…”

“Stop playing games! What do you want? How did you…” She suddenly remembered that he called using her mother’s number. “What did you do with my mother?!” she screamed.

The yells caught Donatello’s attention and he came rushing into the lab, a breadstick hanging out of his mouth and half a plate of pizza in hand. He chewed quickly and swallowed. “Bethany, what’s happening?”

She looked up at Don, frightened. The color was draining from her face, “They have my mother!” 

Stockman started speaking again. “My dear, your mother is safe for the time being. Your presence is requested for the sake of her wellbeing. Travel north to the Catskills at the provided address within three days. Oh and bring your friends if you wish. Tell them we have additional test subjects that we will be testing out our Project ML serums on. However, without their dna, these victims including your mother, will not make it through the procedure. Have a pen handy, dear?” 

Bethany rushed to Don’s desk and grabbed the first marker in sight and wrote haphazardly on a schematic as Stockman gave her the address. Then Stockman disconnected the line and her cell silenced. 

Don rushed over to the desk to see what she wrote. “What’s wrong?” 

“Stockman has my mother…and a bunch of other victims. He said that if I don’t come to this address in three days with you four in tow, he’s going to test the Project ML serum on all of them. Donnie…they’ll all die!”

Don dropped his dish on the desk, “They are not going to give up this project…” he groaned, reading the address which was over sixty miles north. “I gotta tell the guys. We need to figure out what to do with Luke.” 

“I don’t know anyone outside of work or the school, plus I don’t know how my old co-workers would react to me if I asked for help.” Bethany sighed. 

“What about your father?” Don asked.

“He’d never make it in time. He’s out on an oil rig and I have no idea if he’ll get my message right away.”

“Shit,” Don muttered. What could they do with the boy? “We might be forced to take him with us.”

“No, no! I can’t do that!”

“We can’t leave him alone here. I’ll talk to Leo and see what he suggests.”

The news hit the other turtles hard and there was a long debate about how to handle this situation. Bethany insisted going and even threatened to go alone if that’s what it took to get her mother. However, Leo ensured her they would not abandon any of the victims. It was decided that night that they would travel in two days time, bringing Luke with them since they had no other choice, much to Bethany’s dismay. 

That night, she paced around the dojo, wondering if her mother truly was safe. And those other victims…were they okay? She remembered how Carson looked, swollen and discolored. He died a painful death and she certainly didn’t want her mother going through that. She sat down on the floor and attempted to practice that same sort of meditation Leo showed her yesterday, but she was struggling to get her focus. Her thoughts immediately fell on her mother or what could happen to Luke if he went with them. She closed her eyes in frustration and tried harder, but she just couldn’t do it. She heard the broken door creak open and in came a turtle. The darkness made it a bit harder to see at first, but she realized it was Raphael. After their conversation the other night, she found herself getting more and more comfortable around him. He was living up to his brother’s words and was very respectful of her. Plus she learned through her son that Raph was the one who talked to him and held him for a while after finding out about his dad. She watched as he took a seat directly across form her. Something appeared to be on his mind. 

“Mind if i join ya?” Raph asked.

“Okay,” she replied, her voice barely a whisper. She struggled to look him in the eye, but tried her best. 

Raph cleared his throat, wondering exactly how to begin. Small talk was always a good start. “So, besides our new problem, how’ve you been holdin’ up?” 

“Oh…okay I guess, just r-really trying to put it all together.” She took a breath, not really understanding why she was about to say this next sentence. “I’m s-surprised at how different you are now…”

He raised an eye brow. It was progress, but he wanted to know how he could do better. “Oh? Well, I just…”

“You’re not the same person who attacked me almost two weeks ago. I’m starting to understand how you feel, not that I condone what happened, but…”

“It’s all right, I gotcha. Anyways…I just wanted to…” Raph was stumbling through his words, so instead he just held out his hand. 

Bethany saw that he was holding something and she looked at a tiny object centered in his palm. The dim lighting of the lamp above revealed a little frog sitting upon a lily pad. Her mouth fell open and she reached for the trinket. He’d made another wooden gift. “A frog…”

“Heard ya liked them.”

She nodded, “How did you know?” 

“You’re little man told me.” He allowed her to take it and watched as she studied its details. 

“It’s so pretty. You’re very talented. Oh I wish I could make something like this,” she said, admiring it. 

“I can teach you if you want.”

For the first time ever, she smiled at him, “I’d like that…”

The aura in the room lightened for Raphael. To hear her say that she was interested in his art made him feel elated. “I’ll show you how to carve when we get back from our mission.”

There was a short period of silence as Bethany turned over the frog. She expected something on the underside, just like the flower petals. She was right. There on the bottom of the lily pad was a new word.

Friend.

Raph’s heart leapt in his throat. She saw the word and he was very nervous all of a sudden. Would she accept his request for a new start? He watched as she turned the lily back over and her eyes met with his. He wasn’t sure what she was thinking and suddenly, chills shot up his spine. Her face showed no emotion for a minute or two until she finally opened her mouth and said…

“Friends…”


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Traveling to enemy territory

Two days had passed by. It was 2 am and Bethany was ushering Luke to the surface. He was grouchy and pleading to go back to sleep. Eventually Michelangelo picked up the little guy and carried him. Within minutes, Luke was passed out over his shoulder. Bethany had a backpack with clothes for the two of them and the other turtles were leading the way, with Don scanning the area above for humans. 

She never really asked about all that stuff Don carried on his back, but was curious to know why he did so she whispered to Mikey, “What is up with the proton pack?” 

Mikey chuckled, “He always had lots of gadgets. Donnie has a scanner, first aid kit, travel computer, gps, infrared and night vision goggles, solar panels, um…”

“Solar panels?” Bethany’s eyes widened. 

“Yup. There’s one on top the “proton pack” and see the panels on his belt? Extra solar power. I don’t have a clue what else he’s got on that thing, but its gotten us out of a lot of tight spots.” 

Don stopped in front of a ladder and did another scan. “All clear.” He then ascended to the surface, followed by Leo and Raph. They propped open the manhole cover and did a quick look before climbing out. Mikey then had Bethany go up next. She climbed slowly, nervous about being above ground where people could see her. It was dark topside with only one light above them. They were in an alleyway.

Bethany was offered Donatello’s hand as she reached the top and he helped her up. Mikey came up shortly after, to which Leo took the child so his brother could climb out easily. Once the cover was slid back into place, Don led them through a broken fence and into an abandoned warehouse where the turtles briefly split up and searched around the building before going inside. 

“What’s in here?” Bethany asked as she stepped through a dilapidated wall. 

Her question was answered when she spotted a large van with massive wheels and an unusual paint job, similar to camouflage. 

“Check out our wheels, girl!” Mikey cheered. 

“It…it looks like the tumbler out of Batman…” she commented. 

“Hah!” laughed Mikey as he opened the side door. “I suppose the wheels are similar and Donnie suped it up real good! The Dark Knight be envious sistah!” 

Leo rolled his eyes and put Luke inside the van, laying him across the seat and slipping a seatbelt around his waist. Then he draped a blanket over him before climbing into the front seat. Then Bethany climbed in next and settled herself on the seat, propping Luke’s head up in her lap. 

It was a tight squeeze, but Raph and Mikey filed into the van behind Bethany and Luke in the very back. Donatello jumped into the driver seat and started the vehicle. He pulled out of the warehouse and headed north towards route 87. They would be driving for a little under two hours and wanted to make it to their location before the streets became crowded with cars and they would have a better chance of hiding the van and Luke. The city streets were not too bad to drive, only a few commuters going home from the graveyard shift. Donatello kept them hidden from prying eyes by putting up the screens and two-way mirrors on the windows. 

The trek north was not very eventful and Bethany had fallen asleep, curled up with her son on the seat while the turtles kept vigilante for any attacks on the road. Don decided to take a detour when the highway became backed up due to an accident. There were a lot of cops at the scene and it was too risky to drive through. He pulled off at a rest stop and determined that an old backroad leading through a small town would be the fastest way to their destination at this point. 

It took an extra hour to reach the outskirts of the town and they made it through to their destination. As expected, Sacks had built a second estate after his first one was demolished. However, he was rarely on site and the entire building was run by his assistants and scientists. Stockman was also inside and his team was waiting for them…

Don parked the van two miles away from the estate, hiding it between thick pine trees and brush. It was very cold out, but Raph opened up a storage unit in the floor of the van and he withdrew large coats and a smaller one for Luke, plus some blankets. 

“The van is insulated, so Luke will be warm. He can watch movies on the computer if he gets bored and I programmed some kiddie games if he wants to play them,” Don said.

Luke had awakened as the turtles slipped on their coats. “Momma, are we there yet?”

“Yes.” She then looked over her son, worried. “Do we really have to leave him alone? What if they find him?” 

The guys all looked at each other. 

“If we don’t have all five of us, Stockman might injure the hostages,” Mikey said, sliding his weapons into the belt on the coat.

Leo sighed, “We may have to risk it. Luke’s only 6 and if Stockman sends scouts out into the woods, they will find him unless we park the van miles away. I don’t want to risk that. So…we’ll have to chance it. Who’s gonna stay? Volunteer?” 

Raph looked at Bethany, seeing the turmoil in her eyes and then at his brothers. Leo would never back down from a mission and Don would be needed to disable security once they busted the hostages loose. Mikey could stay, but on his own, he sometimes got a little reckless. Not much different from himself to be honest. However, Raph was still working to prove himself to Bethany and what better way to do it than guard her son? “I’ll stay.”

Surprised by Raph’s choice to volunteer, Leo patted his brother on the shoulder. “All right. Let’s get this plan in motion. Anybody need a quick break before we do this?”

“Oh yeah!” Mikey said and he slid open the side door, exited and ran for the nearest bush before Leo had a chance to tell him to be stealthy. 

“Since nobody shot at him, I’m assuming its safe…for now,” Leo said and climbed out of the van. 

Luke stayed close to his mother as they also found a place in the trees to do their own business. When they returned, Don had given Raph a tracking device that easily slipped underneath one of his arm guards. 

“You can find us anywhere in the building with this,” Don said and he looked at Bethany. “I also have a tracker for you.” He produced a very tiny clip from his belt and approached her. He separated part of her braid and clipped the little device close to her scalp, letting her hair hair fall back into place. “There. We three will be connected at all times and the microphone will pick up any sounds or voices. I’ll be able to hear you two and we can make sure Luke stays safe.” 

“Thanks,” she replied, grateful. 

“If there isn’t anything else, then let’s get moving.”

Bethany knelt down and embraced her son, kissing his forehead. “We’re gonna get grandma and come right back, okay baby?” 

“I want to go with you,” Luke whined.

“No. Stay here with Raphael. He’s going to keep you company. Now hop back into the van its cold out here.” She quickly zipped up her son’s jacket and pulled up the hood. Luke’s shoulders slumped, but he did what he was told and climbed back into the van. 

Raph stood out front of the vehicle while his brothers and Bethany lined up. Leo first, then Don with Bethany close behind, and Mikey pulling up the rear. 

“Good luck, Raph!” Mikey called as they moved forward through the trees. 

After simply waving at the others, Raph turned his attention on Luke. “Just you and me, kid.”

Luke nodded and sat there staring at his guardian. 

It wasn’t Raph’s style, but he attempted to engage the kid. “You wanna play a game or somethin?” 

“Not right now. I’m cold,” Luke muttered. 

“Well then, let’s get this door shut.” Raph then climbed back inside the vehicle and closed the sliding door. He wanted to make extra room inside and folded the back seat down, pushing it into the compartment in the floor. 

There was a lot more room now and Luke put a blanket on the floor and wrapped another one around himself. “How long are we going to be here?” 

“Not sure, kid. Could be a few hours or more. Depends on how fast they bust out the hostages.” Raph then made himself comfortable and kept his eye on the windows, watching for any movement. He looked at Luke briefly, seeing that he was on the verge of tears. “Don’t worry, little man. You’re mom’s gonna be fine. My brothers will take good care of her.” 

____________________________________________________

 

Bethany’s feet and tail were freezing. There wasn’t any snow on the ground yet, thankfully, but November was such a chilly month. Her sneakers were not keeping her feet very warm and she wondered how the turtles could stand walking around partially barefoot. They had some sort of shoes on their feet, but their toes were uncovered or haphazardly wrapped in bandages. “Aren’t your feet cold?” she asked aloud.

Mikey jumped on the answer first, “Nope! My feet are still toasty from the car!”

Don quickly interjected, “Our feet don’t get cold as fast as a human’s, thanks to our mutation. Our bodies regulate temperature the same way though. So if we’re out in the cold for long periods then we’ll start to feel it. You on the other hand, are freshly mutated, so you’re not quite ready to handle extreme changes in temperature yet. Give it a year or so and see. I’d like to test that, in fact. Since your serum was so different form ours, I’m thinking you might handle changes better than we can over time.”

“So, you regulate like humans…okay. Does this mean you started out as humans too?” 

“No, we started life as little box turtles. Our injections were the first few experiments in the Sacks corporation. More like a test run actually. Your injection was, well, updated and more potent. That’s why it almost killed you.” 

“Keep it down guys, we really should be traveling in silence,” Leo reminded. He drew a sword and started slicing away a few pine branches that blocked their path. “Trees are thick through here,” he whispered.

Don caught up with Leo and kept his pace with him. He whispered back, “Sacks actually hid this base. I’m not getting a signal. That means security is going to be tight. I’m guessing snipers, radar, heat sensors, the works…” He checked the area for any indication of a satellite reading. “Nothing.” He gave up on his wrist scanner. 

“How in the hell does this place have an address then? Unless its unlisted…”

“Exactly. Sacks works closely with the government. They won’t list his building and may even deny its existence, especially if they are working on billion dollar projects. Stockman gave us the address, but it had no building number, which tells me there is only one.” 

They kept wandering through the woods until they spotted a solitary lamppost in the center of an open field. Not wanting to be caught without cover, the group stayed in the confines of the trees looking for any movement or a sign of the building. 

“Where is it?” Mikey asked, forgetting to keep his voice down. 

“I really don’t like this,” Bethany said. 

“Stay calm, we’re okay,” Leo said as he peered through the thick branches. Even to him, something didn’t feel right. “Donnie? Still nothing?”

“I’ve scanned this place three times now. I haven’t picked up a trace. I hope my gear isn’t crapping out.” Don began tapping on his scanner. 

“No, I don’t think so…” Still holding onto his sword, Leo pushed aside the brush and cautiously stepped out into the open. The lamppost just looked oddly suspicious. He signaled to the others to stay put as he wandered across the field, reaching the post and tapping his sword against it. It made a soft clang, but nothing happened. He turned around, looking to Donnie for suggestions, but then Leo heard metal begin scraping together and he jumped back when the lamppost started to rise. There was a large hatch opening up, revealing a staircase underground. Leo drew his other sword, expecting someone to either come rushing out and attack or an array of bullets to whiz by. He held his position for a minute. There was nothing. It was just an open hatch inviting him to enter. They came to retrieve Bethany’s mother and free other hostages, but Leo had the sneaking suspicion they were walking into a trap. There really was no choice. If they turned back now, then they would be responsible for the death of innocent civilians. Leo did not sense anyone in the hatch nor did a single shot breeze by. He turned to his comrades and waved them over.

Don and Mikey looked at one another before slowly stepping out into the open. Bethany was terrified, but she followed close behind, occasionally peering over her shoulder to make sure they weren’t being followed. Her son’s well-being crossed her mind, but Raph was there with him. If anything happened to her, she trusted Raphael enough to get Luke to a safe place. They proceeded with caution until reaching the mouth of the hatch. Then Leo took the first step onto the stairwell and descended underground. 

Bethany stayed between Don and Mikey, her eyes darting back and forth as they passed through a long corridor. All the turtles had their weapons at the ready in case of an attack. 

After making it through the corridor, they entered a much larger room, harboring freight and vehicles. A large door that probably led to underground tunnels was towards the back of the room. 

“Where is everyone?” Mikey asked. 

“I know we walked into a trap,” Leo whispered. 

Bethany gasped and backed up into Mikey, who quickly put an arm around her shoulder. “It’s okay…” he said. 

“Like hell it is…” she muttered nervously. She looked at the vehicles, many were equipped with machine guns and she even spotted what looked like armored vans for capturing victims. Just as her panic rose, the lights overhead flashed and an alarm sounded. Just as quickly as they arrived, an army of Foot soldiers surrounded them, guns pointing at them. 

“Stay calm!” Leo demanded and he positioned himself ready to fight, leading his two brothers to do the same. They surrounded Bethany, keeping her within their reach and security. They waited, but the soldiers did not attack, just kept their guns fixated on them. 

Then a familiar voice took charge of the situation.

“Well, well. You’re all early.” It was Stockman and he was steadily making his way to the front of the crowd. He spotted Bethany standing at the center of the protective circle. He stared at her, finding her newly mutated form very intriguing. “So Bethany managed to survive. I wasn’t too sure before I spoke with you over the phone, but now I’m convinced.” He looked at the turtles next, “We also have a problem…”

Leo quickly interjected, “Where are the hostages?! We need to make sure they are safe before we converse about anything!” 

“Where’s my mother?!” Bethany cried. 

Stockman chuckled, “Patience, friends. The hostages are secure in their cells. Now back to my initial concern. Where is the fourth turtle? I believe we had an agreement. Four turtles, plus one lady and I forgo giving them the ML serum.”

“…” Bethany was at a loss. She knew they would ask about Raph, but she had no idea what to say and she didn’t want to mention her son out of fear for his life. 

“Raphael is no longer a part of this team,” Leo said. It was a total lie, but it was his best attempt to fool Stockman. 

Internally, Don and Mikey were conflicted, but they did not show emotion. Leo must have had a plan.

“Ah, I see. After his little romp, I can’t blame you for casting him out. I’m sure Bethany appreciated it,” Stockman mocked. 

Bethany was very lucky her face did not show red because she was highly embarrassed. She was rubbing her hands at her sides nervously.

Leo redirected Stockman. “Show us the hostages.” 

“In good time. First, drop your weapons. Since the hostages remain in my custody, I make the demands. Any problems with that and I’ll still test the serum. If you try anything right now, my team will see on the monitors and they will begin the injections the second you swing those swords.” Stockman laughed and he ordered his militants to cautiously approach. 

Leo was the first to surrender his blades and he allowed the armed men to search him for any additional weapons. Then they cuffed his hands and feet to prevent him from fighting. Don and Mikey followed suit, but it was frustrating for Donnie because they took all of his gear, leaving him with his clothes and belt only. Then Bethany found her hands bound with simple ropes, mouth covered with duct tape, and a gun pointed at her back, urging her to move forward. Their coats were thrown into a dumpster as they were escorted down winding tunnels.

The soldiers then pushed the turtles into walking towards the labs, forcing them into one of the largest rooms. There were tables, computers, and scores of equipment, making Don’s lab look like a playroom. There were no scientists present except for Stockman and the militants filed in, covering every door that could be a potential escape route for the turtles. 

“Put them in chains,” Stockman said, referring to the turtles. 

Mikey groaned as his limbs were secured to the cement wall, as were his brothers. But Bethany was left in the center of the room, four guards surrounding her. 

Once the turtles were restrained, Stockman started to question them again. “I’m going to ask one more time, where is the fourth turtle?” 

“We already told you, he’s gone,” Leo insisted.

“You think I’m a fool? Did you really think for one second that I’d believe you tossed out one of your own? I know you have some code of ethics you follow and that you’d likely rehabilitate that uncontrollable beast before banishing him. So, is he stalking around the woods somewhere? Last chance to tell me the truth…”

“He’s not with us,” Leo growled. 

Stockman closed his eyes and smirked. “Fine. We’ll do this the hard way.” He snapped his fingers and one militant stepped out from the crowd, putting his weapon away and unraveling a long rope from his belt. It was a whip. 

This didn’t seem to faze any of the turtles. Mikey even smirked right back at Stockman. Their shells were bulletproof, so there was no way a whip would ever penetrate. Apparently Stockman was more of an idiot than he looked. However, the turtles were shocked when the evil scientist snapped his fingers again and the four soldiers surrounding Bethany suddenly grabbed her and cut the ropes from her wrists before yanking her over to the nearest pillar. It was right within view of the turtles and they began shouting at the men.

“Leave her alone you bastards!” Mikey yelled and struggled against his bonds. 

Every word the turtles threw at the men fell on deaf ears, so Leo had to try and stop this before Bethany suffered for their stubbornness. 

“Raph’s out in the woods!” Leo cried, hoping it would stop the men.

Stockman only smiled, “Thank you. I appreciate your honesty, but I’m afraid you’ve already crossed me once and liars don’t go unpunished.” 

“Then take it out on me!” Leo growled.

“What’s the point? I’m not an idiot. You won’t feel a thing! But I think you’ll feel this as much as she will…” He then turned his back on Leo and ordered the soldiers to continue.

Bethany was screaming against her gag, but it didn’t do any good. Nobody could understand her. She was forced up against the pillar, arms retied so they were wrapped around the marble and one soldier produced a knife and slashed open the back of her shirt and the sleeves until the fabric fell away from her body. Her chest was now bare and pressed up against the cold pillar. Her braid was pushed up over her shoulder and she watched in panic as the soldier with the whip stood a few feet behind her, practicing with the torture weapon against the floor for a moment. 

“Let’s see how well the ML serum works and gauge your pain tolerance!” Stockman said. He then nodded at the soldier, who raised the whip in the air and cracked it once before slamming it against her flesh. 

Bethany screamed loudly, her voice muffled from the tape, but everyone in the room was either enjoying her pain or horrified by it. The turtles started struggling, trying to pull their chains out of the walls, but it was no good. She cried as a second strike hit her across the lower back, the tail of the whip wrapped around her torso for a moment and left a horrendous welt on her tummy. 

“Make sure you give her a few seconds between lashings, otherwise the pain of each strike will dull into the next.” Stockman was far too happy watching this poor girl getting tortured. 

Bethany could no longer stand on her feet and had fallen to her knees, at least as far as the ropes would let her go. Her face was soaked with tears and her skin was burning. 

With a heavy heart, Leo watched as Bethany slowly succumbed to her beating. Her back was torn to pieces and bleeding. His brothers were still yelling at the men and begging to take her punishment for themselves, but they were all ignored. 

Another crack and the whip ripped another gash across her shoulder…

Then another strike shredded her already mutilated skin…

Then another…

And another…

Until she passed out from shock.

When Stockman felt she’d had more than enough, he halted his soldier. “That’s good enough. She’ll be feeling that for weeks. Bring the other team and tell them to get started on the withdrawals. Oh also, send a team out into the woods. If this freak was telling the truth, then that behemoth of a turtle is out wandering the perimeter. Find him and bring him here. Kill anyone else that may be accompanying him.”

The turtles each gasped. Luke was in danger! They peered at one another for a moment but refrained from saying anything, knowing that Raph would not let anything happen to Bethany’s son.

Within thirty minutes, the lab team arrived and started their work. Bethany was removed from the pillar and laid across a table on her belly. Instead of cleaning up her wounds, the team just withdrew as many blood and skin samples as they could and strapped her down to the table when they were finished. When they attempted to start collecting form the turtles, they were nervous to get near because Leo, Don, and Mikey were rowdy and shouting obscenities at them. It was impossible to collect anything until Stockman threatened to do something even worse to Bethany and the hostages. 

“Should we drain them entirely?” one scientist asked.

“No. My father nearly made that mistake under Sacks foolish decisions, but I’m not prepared to waste any amount of blood these freaks produce. And I want an endless supply,” Stockman said. 

___________________________________________________

It had been hours since his brothers left and Raphael was steadily growing impatient. He wasn’t one for sitting and waiting, but at least Luke kept him entertained. They played a few games on the computer together and watched a movie. Raph was extremely vigilant and continuously peered out the windows and doors to listen or see if anyone was approaching. So far, no action. 

Currently, Luke was sitting in the driver’s seat, pretending to be police officer chasing a criminal. He was behaving pretty well for kid, so there really wasn’t much Raph needed to do other than watch him. 

Once dusk started to settle over the land, Raph was beginning to question if he should go after his brothers. They shouldn’t be taking this long. Perhaps they had run into problems? He sat up in the seat and reached for the door, slowly opening it. He peered out into the thick brush and saw nothing, but his stomach had flipped as he felt a tremor run down his spine. His senses were telling him something was coming and he quickly reached into the front seat to take Luke’s hand. 

“Stay silent, kid,” Raph said as he bundled the child up in a coat before zipping up his own. Then he and Luke climbed out of the vehicle. “Keep low and follow me.” The pair moved away from the van and in the direction opposite of his brother’s original path. Raph decided it was best to find another route if the others were captured.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Making a first connection..

Raphael managed to evade soldiers through the first half of the night with a very tired child on his hands. It was hard and he wound up carrying Luke, who desperately wanted to sleep. The little boy passed out on his shoulder as he searched for a temporary shelter. The best Raph could find was an old shed buried in the trees. It was getting extremely cold too and Raph could feel it in his toes, having walked around mostly barefoot his entire life. His feet didn’t freeze unless the temperature dropped significantly. He pushed open the wooden door, causing it to creak and splinter at the hinges. Then he kicked it closed once they were safely inside. 

It wasn’t the best shelter, but it should work. Whoever owned it, must have used it for storage at one point because there were boxes everywhere. Raph put Luke down in a corner and started to rummage through the junk, looking for anything useful. Most of the stuff was exactly what it was, garbage. However, there was one box with old blankets and a few tools. Raph was glad to see there was large knife in the box and he pulled it out. It was a hunting knife that needed to be sharpened, but there were supplies in the box that would take care of that. He slipped the knife into his belt, happy to have a weapon finally. It felt so unusual to be carrying steel once again and it made him miss his sais. They were sitting at home, seeing as Leo still refused to return them. He found a whetstone and bits of cloth, but he wasn’t going to sharpen anything right now.

First, he needed to get some much needed sleep and keep Luke warm. Raph scooped up all of the blankets and brought them over to the corner where the shack was the driest. He lay one blanket on the hard floor and fetched Luke. He held the child as he wrapped another blanket around him and then took a seat on the floor. He pulled the final and largest blanket up over the two of them. Luke didn’t wake up once as Raph positioned him on his plastron and kept an arm wrapped securely around his back. Their body heat should be enough to get them through the night.

Hours passed…

The next morning, Raph had awakened to see that Luke was not in his arms and he panicked. He bolted upright and frantically searched the shack looking for the boy. “Kid! Where are ya?!” There was no response and Raph immediately rushed outside of the shack to see if Luke was outside. “Luke!”

Raph heard rustling in the bushes nearby and he drew his new knife, waiting to see what was lurking. Then he heard a small cry and instantly recognized it. He sheathed the knife once again and quickly took to the bushes and broke several branches before spotting Luke. He was leaning up against a tree trunk and coughing. His eyes were watering and his skin was pasty white. 

“Kid, what’re ya doin’ out here?” Raph asked as he gathered him up.

“I had to go potty…” Luke muttered. His voice sounded terrible and he was wheezing.

“Shit…” 

Luke must have gotten sick during the night. Raph quickly gathered him up and brought him back inside the shed. He wrapped him back up in a blanket and placed his palm against Luke’s forehead. He was hot.

“Awe, kiddo…”

“I don’t feel good,” Luke moaned.

“I know. You’re boilin’ hot. We gotta find the others and get ya home. Bethany’s gonna kill me for lettin’ ya get sick.” Raph then pulled part of the blanket up over Luke’s head, so only his face was peeking out. “We gotta move. This place ain't safe and it ain’t doin' ya any favors either.” He needed to find a better place that was dry and warm. After poking his head outside the door, Raph peered through the trees. There was nothing he could see and he quietly stepped out with Luke in his arms, bundled up. 

Raph slipped between the trees, keeping a lookout for enemies. There was not much going on around him…at least not until he heard a shot ring out. Raph dropped to his knees and shielded Luke as a stray bullet bounced off his shell. “Shit!” Raph grumbled and he quickly bolted for the thicker brush. Someone had spotted them and now several shots were going off. Luckily, a lot of the shots were lost to the trees and bushes. He needed to escape…

_______________________________________________________

 

It was a very long night for Bethany and the turtles knew she would be in agonizing pain the following day, if she even woke up that is. After yesterday’s torture, Stockman ordered two of the turtles to be tranquilized and moved to cells. Leo and Mikey were separated from Don and Bethany and taken away. Stockman knew that Donatello would have spent a lot of time studying Bethany and so he decided the pair would remain in the lab. Under heavy threats of violence against his brothers, Don was forced to cooperate with Stockman and the soldiers. Guns were locked onto the turtle as his restraints were removed. 

Stockman laughed as he watched Don rub his now raw wrists. “I suspect you gained a lot of knowledge from this subject,” Stockman said as he peered at Bethany, who was still unconscious on the table. 

Don said nothing, but his eyes traveled to Bethany. He felt sorry for her, but did not attempt to approach her out of fear they would harm her again. But Stockman said something completely unexpected.

“You’re free to clean her up. I don’t need her at the moment.” Stockman then went about his business, turning his back towards Don and beginning work with some of the blood samples taken from Bethany. The soldiers kept a close eye on Donnie and weapons at the ready, should he try anything. 

Without hesitation, Don jogged over to her and his eyes fell on her shredded back. She was still bleeding in places, but it wasn’t gushing. The clotting was poor and he could see some evidence of a bacterial infection forming around the wounds. He needed to get her skin clean and treated quickly before she got worse. He muttered under his breath as he began searching around the lab and spotted medical supplies and a first aid kit. The soldiers remained steadfast, not preventing him from helping her. Stockman probably wanted this. Getting Bethany patched up would mean he could continue testing on her when she healed somewhat. Don would have refused to help her if it meant she would be spared more testing, but he would never leave her to suffer. He grabbed everything that he could and carried the supplies to the nearby counter. 

There were no gloves that would fit his hands, so he went without and washed his hands in the nearest sink. Then he dug through the materials until he found clean towels and antibacterial soap. With a small bowl, Don filled it with warm tap water and quickly went to work. He soaked a towel and applied the soap, letting it lather slightly before he starting moderately scrubbing the large cuts. He kept it up until all debris had washed away and fresh blood rose to the surface. Bethany awakened briefly, but passed out again before Don could tell her he was treating her. 

Her wounds were much easier to see and Donnie assessed what he next move should be. “Stitches…” he whispered to himself. Then he dug around the supplies some more, but could not find anything to suture her back. 

As f knowing what Don was planning, Stockman dropped what he was doing briefly and rummaged through a cabinet. Smirking, he carried over another medical kit and dropped it in front of the angered turtle. “Try this,” Stockman mocked. 

Even though he wanted to clock Stockman, Don refrained and opted to give the asshole a dirty look before digging through the bag. Everything necessary for stitches was inside. Don pulled out a sterile bag filled with medical thread and needles. He then started prepping the two and saw that Bethany had come to once again. She started to cry in pain.

“M-my…back…h-urts so much!” she whimpered.

“I know it does, “ Don said gently and he dropped his hand on the back of her head, gently caressing it. “I’m taking care of it.”

She then tried to roll over, but her restraints kept her on her belly. “W-what…?” 

“Take it easy. We’re still in the compound.”

“My m-mother…”

“Stockman hasn’t let us see the hostages yet,” Don said sadly. 

Bethany’s heart was broken. What if her mother was suffering? She wanted so badly to get up and search for her and then she wondered about her son being out in the woods alone. However, the pain in her back brought her back to the current situation as she felt something pierce her skin. She cried out and shuddered, causing her body to react unfavorably to Don’s work.

“Relax, relax! It’s all right!”

“Like hell it is!” Bethany screamed. The soldiers all around them were now chuckling at their expense. 

Don groaned at their ignorance and stopped with the needle temporarily. He lay the instrument nearby and quickly ran around the edge of the table until he was in front of her. Then he crouched and took both of her hands in his. She had her face hidden in her arms as best she could. The restraints kept her uncomfortably in this position, not able to move much, which honestly would benefit him for the time being. Otherwise her struggling would be much worse and he’d probably never get her back finished. He needed to try and calm her. “Bethany, please look at me.”

She didn’t move her head, but he could hear her muffled sobs still. 

“Please look at me,” he requested again. This time her eyes finally met with his and he saw the pained etched across her face. Her eyes were swollen and red and she was now squeezing his hand. “I know this hurts. But I need to put stitches in your back otherwise you won’t heal properly. I’m sorry I don’t have any medicine to cover up the pain. Just try to lie still. Can you do that for me?” 

She hiccuped, but nodded and buried her face back in her arms. 

Don gave her hands a gentle squeeze before he let them go and returned to his work. He prepared to thread another portion of her skin on the largest laceration. He pressed the needle against her and poked through, causing her to flinch and groan. She tried her hardest to hold it in but struggled a lot to keep from screaming. It wasn’t really the needle itself that was the worst of it, it was the fact that Don had to maneuver her skin to line it up and pull it together. It was nearly thirty minutes before he finished the first one and she was pleading for a break.

By now the soldiers were all propped up against pillars and walls, chattering, obviously bored with simply watching Don sew up Bethany’s back. Stockman had left a short time ago, stating something about collecting more dna. 

Because Bethany was moving again, Don had to take a break. He knelt down in front of her again. “I know you’re hurting, but the quicker I do this, the less pain you’ll feel. I got the hang of it, so I can do the others faster.”

“No more…I can’t take it!” she cried. 

“If we don’t, you’ll get an infection.” 

“Please…”

Don took extreme pity on her and dropped his head to the table so they were eye to eye. “You can do this. Pain’s only in the mind.” He placed a hand on her cheek, “Let me finish.”

Incredibly depressed, Bethany closed her eyes, “Okay…”

From then on, Bethany grit her teeth and tried her hardest to keep from screaming and shuddering, which slowed down the process. Don was nearly finished within another two hours and her back was starting to resemble patchwork. After tying off the thread to the final wound, Don cleaned her back again with a disinfectant solution and started wrapping her with gauze. It was hard to do and Bethany had to lift her torso and hold it there. Once it was finished, a group of soldiers grabbed Don’s arms and began dragging him away, much to Bethany’s fear. What was Stockman going to do to her next? But she didn’t have long to think about it because two more soldiers roughly untied her hands and pulled her off the table. In pain and scared, she was pushed behind Donatello and the pair were escorted towards the cell block. They were forced into confinement together and Bethany was left cold and topless. The gauze barely kept her warm, but at least it hid her body from view. 

Don took in their surroundings. The cell was fairly clean, but it would be hard to escape since the door was steel and walls had no glass or weak spots from what he could see. Only one bed was provided with a thin sheet and pillow. He rolled his eyes, “I suppose the Hilton was too much to ask.” He started pacing around the cell, trying to figure out how he was going to find his brothers and the hostages. 

Bethany was moving over towards the bed, desperate to lie down. She carefully set herself down, avoiding large movements. “I’m so tired…” she moaned. 

“You should sleep. It’ll do you some good,” Don said. 

“How long do you think it’ll take for my back to heal?” 

Don chewed on his lip. “Couple weeks, maybe a month or two for full recovery. That large laceration is pretty deep. I can give you better medicines when we get home.”

“If we get home…”

“Don’t say that. We’ll get out of here. I’m sure Leo is working on a plan too.” 

“We were supposed to see my mother right away.” Bethany teared up. She had no idea if her mother was even alive.

“If Stockman is anything like his father, he’s a liar too.”

He listened as Bethany sniffled, but didn’t say anything else. Sometimes comforting words only made the situation worse. There had to be a way out. He studied the door and looked for hinges. None. The door could only be opened from the outside and no visible lock to try and pick. This was a very secure cell and the only way out would be escorted by soldiers. Frustrated, Don began pacing around the room and spent a while just thinking about the predicament. 

When more than an hour passed, he finally found himself exhausted and did not want to sleep on the cold floor. It made him squeamish, but he decided that curling up on the bed would benefit both himself and Bethany. Her body temperature was higher than his, so staying warm should be easy if the sheet covered them both and acted as an insulator. After pushing away his nervousness, he crawled onto the plain mattress and lay next to her. It wasn’t a large bed, maybe a full and his feet hung over the side. For comfort, he had to lie on his side. Back aches were common for him, having a shell. He faced Bethany, who was out cold and her breathing was slow and steady. Due to the size of the mattress, he was forced to make skin to skin contact; his belly against her back. When he got comfortable, he tugged the sheet up over the two of them and rested his head down on his arm. He fell asleep quickly. 

Around two hours later he awoke feeling something unusual. Don’s eyes cracked open and he saw that Bethany had rolled over and was clinging to him, still passed out and her forehead resting against his collar. He also found that his arms somehow wrapped around her torso and his chin was pressing on her head. Her hand was pressed against his chest delicately. He didn’t want to wake her and tried to untangle his limbs from her, but found it impossible. He carefully lifted the sheet and spotted her tail. It snaked its way between his legs and wrapped around his right leg, not squeezing, but firmly holding him. 

After so much time spent trying to figure out how to move that body part, now she figures it out? In her sleep no less! Don sighed. Not knowing how to handle this, he could only sit tight and wait for her to wake up or roll over or something…

She turned her head slightly and he thought for a moment that she was up, but it wasn’t so. She only pressed her face into his neck and he could feel her warm breath on his skin. Oddly enough, this was not helping and he could feel shivers starting to run down his spine. For a moment, he contemplated shaking her a little and spare him any other foreign emotions, but he suddenly felt her shift again and this time, her eyes cracked open. 

He half expected her to panic, seeing that they were intertwined in such a provocative way. However, she did not scream, but looked up at him for a second, confused. 

“Eh..I’m r-really sorry. I just, there was n-no…” he stumbled through an excuse.

“I’m so cold…” she mumbled and suddenly pressed herself even closer to him, squeezing her arms between their bodies to try and heat them up. 

At this point, he didn’t have the heart to get out of bed. He mustered up his courage and wrapped his arms even tighter around her. She did feel warm, but her teeth were chattering. “You’re like a furnace. Your body kept me warm so I’ll try my best to return the favor,” he commented.

She flinched slightly when his arm accidentally touched her bandages.

“Sorry, I forgot.” He lowered his hands down to the small of her back where there were less injuries and he relaxed again. He truly was comfortable being toasty-warm beneath the sheets, tail wrapped around his leg and all. They stayed that way for a while, at least until the lights overhead dimmed out and nothing but blackness filled the room. “Figures, a rich man like Stockman can’t afford to pay the electric bill…” Then he felt Bethany’s belly twitching, suggesting that she was chuckling. He couldn’t help but smile. At least she couldn’t see his face, because he was not one to make wise-cracks and he knew he was blushing a little. 

When she calmed down a bit, she painfully shifted her position so she was more on her belly and her tail untangled from his leg . 

Don swallowed when he felt her tail slide from between his legs. 

“Sorry about that. I didn’t realize it had a mind of its own,” she sad sheepishly. 

“At least we know the muscles are strengthening. Can you move it freely now?” 

In her mind, she commanded the tail to move and it wouldn’t at first, but she could tell the tip had curled and managed to get it to coil about halfway up the length. “It’s getting there, see? Er…” She’d forgotten he couldn’t see in the dark and mentally slapped herself for her stupidity. “Heh, dumb question…” Her breath caught in her throat when he blindly reached for the tail and caught it. 

“Good. It should be fully functioning in a few more days then. So, does it feel like an extra arm?”

“Sort of. I can’t really explain it. You know, I’m really…ugh!” She flinched when she moved in an attempt to sit up.

“You really shouldn’t try to sit up,” Don reminded and he put her tail back on the bed. 

“Sorry. I can’t help it. Staying in the same position is making my limbs ache and back stiffen.” She then slowly turned onto her hands and knees and sat herself up. Her skin was burning like crazy and she just couldn’t keep her tears at bay any longer. She wished she was still asleep to spare herself the pain. “It just won’t stop.”

“It’s going to be a lengthy recovery, but you’ll get through it,” he encouraged. 

“How do you manage to stay so positive?” she whispered.

“It’s in my nature, I guess. My brothers have gotten hurt so many times and I’ve always helped them recover. I have no doubts you’ll do the same.” He placed a hand on her shoulder, reassuringly. 

“You know, when I first encountered you guys, I was terrified. Especially after Raph…well, I don’t think it’s fair of me to keep bringing that up. You’re just so different now. All of you.”

“We’re good people…eh, turtles. I’m just happy you weren’t traumatized from your time with my brother. He’s always been a bit much for us to handle sometimes. He’s very protective of us though and when he screws up, he suffers emotionally. He just wants to make peace with you.”

She sighed, “Yeah he’s been working pretty hard. He gave me a few pieces of art and promised to show me how to carve some time. Actually, Leo was showing me how to meditate too. I’m learning something new from each of you, except you. But you’ve been so busy treating me…”

“I can teach you a lot. Just depends on the topic. First aid so you can help treat yourself if you want.” 

“Well, yes. That would be useful.” She had to think about it for a minute. All this time, Don was direct, truthful, and very kind to her. And she still hasn’t really done anything but give him grief nor thanked him for healing her so many times. “By the way, thank you for treating my wounds…”

“It’s no trouble.”

“But it is! I’ve been difficult since day one and haven’t really shown you my gratitude. All I’ve done is run off, get captured…”

“You already thanked us for saving you.”

“But not for everything else! You let me stay with you, bunk in your lab, kept me healthy, looked after my son, and-

“Stop, stop. You really don’t have to…”

“I owe you so much,”she muttered, feeling guilty. There was a bit of a pause in their conversation and she felt Don shift on the bed. “Still tired?”

“I was, but it’ll be a little bit before I get back to sleep. Honestly, I’m getting a little chilly again,” he admitted and tugged the sheet up a bit.

“Oh sorry. I was your furnace, as you put it.” She then lifted the sheet and slid back underneath so her chest was pressed against his side and draped her arm across his belly. 

It was only now that Don felt his heart start racing. This wasn’t like anything he experienced before. This woman was lying here next to him, willingly. It was something he never thought would happen in his lifetime. Even worse, he felt a stirring in his stomach, but did not utter a word about it to her. Something about her hand resting on his lower belly brought on even deeper emotions. He didn’t realize it, but his arm was slowly snaking around her and bringing her even closer, but careful not to touch her back. 

“Your body is so much colder than mine,” she whispered.

“Yeah, our temperatures vary a bit more than a human. Cold weather and turtles don’t mix and being down here is not helping. But, you’re doing a pretty good job keeping me regulated and I really like it…that is, uh…” Oh he screwed that up! 

That little admission was not expected. In her experience, he never let private thoughts slip. If anything, it didn’t bother her and she wasn’t sure why. Don was the one who kept watch over her and somehow this felt right, even more so than her first marriage when she thought her ex truly loved her. Don was dedicated and smart. A little blunt sometimes, but overall very sweet and charming. She gasped. What was she thinking?! This was Donatello! A turtle! She is a human, or part of one! How could thoughts like these suddenly manifest? Perhaps she was looking at it the wrong way? Even though he was a reptile, he was sentient and more like a human than anything. She just stopped noticing his physical differences after getting to know him. 

Her silence concerned him. After his silly comment, who could blame her? Just another oddball statement out of his mouth to scare her away! He waited for her to roll away, but was surprised when she crawled up on top of him, her skirt and legs sliding between his knees and her belly resting against his and their faces were only a few inches apart.

She had no idea what she was doing or why, but her every move was being controlled by her subconscious. Donnie was nothing like her ex and he didn’t mind kids, always a fine quality in a man. His many other talents made him that much more attractive as well…

She could no longer help it and leaned in closer until her nose touched his and then she pressed her lips against his. 

Don’s eyes widened and his glasses suddenly slid a bit down the bridge of his nose. He was perplexed and unsure of what his move should be. Was this for real? He even pinched himself on the thigh to make sure. When Bethany’s weight remained on his body, he was certain it wasn’t an illusion. Her lips were so soft and he could feel her breath against his cheeks. Without really thinking, he put forth an effort and returned her gentle kiss. Not wanting to push his boundaries too far, he kept his hands at bay by his sides. There was a thing or two that he learned from the internet and various movies and he decided to exercise that knowledge. He closed his eyes and prompted her to part her mouth. When she responded, his tongue dashed between her lips and wrestled her tongue for dominance. It was now that he realized things were heating up and his heart rate was so fast that he was starting to breathe harder. He liked that her arms had wandered up to his shoulders and wrapped around his neck to toy with his bandana. Luckily she had her skirt and he had his garments to keep her from feeling the steadily growing erection in his pants. He had to ignore it. She was far too injured to even think about that!

Growing more bold, he slowly brought his hands up and placed them on her hips. Heat was growing between their bodies, particularly at her groin. She was boiling hot! Before he could really press further for her affections, she broke the kiss and snuggled into his embrace, obviously tired and he stayed his hands. It was such a tender moment and he refused to spoil it. What would happen when they awakened next? Would this spoil their budding friendship?


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Captives and one-on-one...

Leonardo spent the night unconscious after being tranquilized and thrown in a cold cell. His head was currently throbbing and his limbs were heavy, but he managed to drag himself to the corner and sit up. He rubbed his eyes a few times before trying to get a good look around. He wasn’t alone in the cell and spotted something moving in the opposing corner and instinctively leapt to his feet, preparing to defend himself. When his cellmate didn’t come charging at him, he decided to investigate and slowly inched his way across the dim space only to find a small human huddling in fear. 

The human was curled up in a ball, naked and cold. Upon further inspection, Leo determined it to be female and she was very young, maybe nineteen. There wasn’t too much he could do for her other than try and talk to her, but first he unwrapped the cloth from around his waist, leaving him with his spandex shorts. It wasn’t much, but she was teeny enough for the fabric to wrap around her at least once. He needed to grab her attention without frightening her. Hoping for the best, he knelt down on the floor and gently spoke.

“Miss? Are you all right?” he asked. 

She only sniffled, refusing to look up at him. Her arms clamped down on her legs as she brought them closer to her body. She was shaking. 

“I’m not here to hurt you. I just want to offer you something to wear.”

The girl’s head moved and she slowly turned to look at him. When she saw him, she just peered at him, looking straight into his eyes. No fear. 

“How long have you been here?” Leo asked as he held out his garment.

Reluctantly she reached out for the article and pressed it to her chest until she learned more about this strange creature. He was keeping his word and not trying to hurt her so she felt okay enough to speak to him, “Two weeks…maybe?” 

“That long? Do you know why you’re here?” 

“Not really. They said something about a serum. For the first week and a half, they only did physical tests on me and collected blood.” She held out her arm. It was black and blue from withdrawals. “Yesterday they gave me a shot and my stomach’s been hurting a lot.” 

That sounded like a similar symptom to what Bethany had in the beginning of her mutation. Leo sighed. “Can you tell me what they gave you?” 

“No, but I think it’s causing this…” She stretched out one of her legs for him to see. “Did they give you a shot too? Is that why you look like that? Will that happen to me?”

Leo peered down at her limb and saw that she had patches of orangey-red scattered here and there and the skin was scaly. So Stockman lied. He used Bethany’s mother to drag her here and went ahead with the testing, against his promise to release the hostages. “Shit…” 

“What?! Am I dying?”” 

“I have a friend who went through this a few days ago and she is fine now,” Leo said quickly.

“What about you? Did you go through this?” 

“Not the same way you are. I was only a baby, so I can’t remember.”

Her jaw dropped. “You were only an infant?! What kind of people steal babies from their parents and experiment on them?! Do your parents know you’re alive?” 

“Ah, well…I don’t know who my biological parents are and, uh, if I took your comments in the right context, I’ve never been human. I started out as a turtle and I was just a baby when they experimented on me. Well, not by Stockman at least, but the people running the show used a similar serum.” As expected, she remained stunned and he wasn’t able to see her eyes, but he could feel them scanning his entire being. It was a little uncomfortable, so he changed the topic. “So, what’s your name?”

A little hesitant, she replied, “Julie.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Julie. My name’s Leonardo. So, do you know why they took you?”

She frowned. “No. I was just getting out of class when someone grabbed me and pushed me into the back of a truck. There were three others in there with me, but the soldiers separated us when we arrived and I was put here. What’s happening to me?” Her eyes started to redden and tears leaked down her cheeks. 

Leo scooted himself closer so he could see her face more clearly. He peered at her weepy eyes and placed a hand on her back to comfort her. “I’m not really sure why they’re doing this to you, but I’m confident that my brothers and I will help you escape. We’re not planning to be here long and I’m certain Donnie has something in the works.” 

“D-Donnie?”

“My brother. He’s very smart and I wouldn’t be surprised if he already figured out a way to escape.” Leo casually rubbed her back, feeling the smooth scaling now running down her shoulders. “Why don’t you wrap that around yourself and we’ll see if we can find you some other clothes to wear when we get out of here.” He then spun around to give her some privacy while she figured out how to drape herself. 

______________________________________________________

Raphael rushed through the bushes, dodging bullets and doing his best to keep Luke safe. The child was crying and there was nothing Raph could to quiet him. The cries attracted more and more soldiers to chase them. It was still in the early hours of the morning and stopping for a rest was out of the question. There was no place to hide, not even in the trees. Snipers were planted everywhere. Another bullet whizzed past Raph’s head and he ducked low, maneuvering through branches and he stopped for a moment behind a large boulder, listening as an array of ammunition passed overhead and struck the ground. 

“Fuck…” Raph grumbled. With the kid in his custody, he couldn’t park somewhere to defend or fight back. He was running out of options and had no idea where the entrance to the base was at this point, having run in several different directions. He rested against the rock and cradled Luke close to his chest. Finally the child stopped crying, but continued to sniff, cough, and hiccup. Poor Luke was feeling rotten from his illness. “S’ok little man. Uncle Raph will figure this out.” He looked around, trying to find a place to hide the kid, but there was only the boulder and the surrounding trees. He could try to put Luke in the branches, high up, but what if the kid fell? He could get seriously hurt. Raph peered at the ground and saw there was a small crevice between the boulder and hill nearby. Luke was small enough to fit inside and Raph felt there was no other choice. In a heartbeat, he dropped to his knees and quickly crawled towards the crevice as best he could.

Luke saw the hole and at first refused to be separated from Raph. “No! I don’t wanna go there!” 

“You have to, kid! I gotta lead the bad guys away so they can’t get ya…” He then started pushing Luke down the crevice. “Trust me, I’ll come back and get ya once they’re gone!” With a bit of resistance from the boy, Raph managed to get him into the hole and he stood up. “Stay there. Don’t make a sound and keep those blankets around ya!” Afterwards, Raph quickly placed a large rock over the hole’s entrance to hide it and mark it so he could find Luke again. Then he took off in a run, bullets hailing down on him again, but most hit his shell. He needed to put distance between himself and Luke. Judging by the shots in the air, it was working and Raph guessed he made it at least a half a mile away from the boulder, but the problem now was that the humans in the woods surrounded him. Raph reached for his belt…and forgot he was weaponless. “Dammit Leo!” he growled. 

There had to be another way.

Raph heard another bullet pass by his head and he decided he couldn’t escape the gunman, but needed to confront them and disarm them. He leapt for the trees and hooked his arm around a thick branch, pulling himself up. Then he started leaping from tree to tree until he spotted a couple of soldiers in a clearing. They were searching, guns pointed in all directions. Raph waited patiently on a branch until the soldiers wandered closer. When one of them passed by, he remained silent. When the second soldier passed underneath, Raph quickly jumped from his branch and landed behind the soldier, gripping the guy around the next and causing the soldier to panic and fire his weapon. Bullets flew everywhere, including into the other soldier. 

Blood sputtered from the neck of the first soldier and he fell over while the one in Raph’s arms tried to fight back. Clearly overpowering the human, Raph gripped the soldier’s arm and easily shattered his elbow. The guy screamed and dropped his machine gun, but it didn’t prevent him from pulling a knife out of his utility belt and slashing Raph across the forearm. 

Raph bellowed in anger and grabbed the man’s wrist, snapping it and forcing the knife to fall. The only defense this soldier had was to call for help and so he began shouting until Raph cut off his air supply. The man struggled, kicking his feet and attempting to bite his enemy, but eventually he fell unconscious and Raph let the guy flop over, landing in a puddle of mud. Once the soldiers were down, Raph took advantage of their supplies. He took off the unconscious man’s backpack and rifled through the contents. There was extra ammunition and medical supplies, plus a few rations of food. 

“Okay, may be useful.” He then searched the soldier’s pockets and took off his utility belt, stuffing everything into the bag. “Gotta get this back to the kid.” After loading up the supplies, Raph fetched the knife and machine gun nearby. He wasn’t fond of firearms, but he needed to take every advantage. Leo wouldn’t approve, but right now, he didn’t give a shit. Just as he prepared to jump back into the trees, he heard a moan and the sound of blood gurgling. He turned in the direction of the other soldier, originally shot by his comrade. Raph approached cautiously and knelt down next to the soldier, who he originally thought was dead. He grasped the soldier’s shoulder and turned him over…

Raph gasped and his eyes widened when the soldier’s helmet rolled off. 

Staring back up at him was the frightened eyes of a woman. She was grasping at her throat and struggling to breathe. Blood was pouring out of her mouth and she was crying. As angry as he was knowing that this woman had taken shots at him, he felt pity for her. Her own comrade shot her unknowingly and it wouldn’t have happened if she didn’t get involved with Stockman or Sacks in the first place. Not sure why he was doing so, but Raph touched the woman’s shoulder and looked over her injuries. He had to push her hands aside to get a better look, but the moment her hands lifted, blood rapidly spilled and she started to choke. There was nothing he could do and judging by the lack of shots in the air, none of her other comrades were close. Raph closed his eyes and sighed. He couldn’t leave her like this and who knows when the guy he knocked out would awaken. Plus he had two busted arms, which would be no good. As he thought about the situation, he felt something touch his arm and looked down.

She rested one of her bloody hands on his forearm, not in a threatening manner, but one that seemed apologetic. Without thinking, Raph took her hand and gently squeezed it but she easily slipped her hand out of his and let it run to his belt. Her fingers ran over the handle of the knife he collected and for a second he thought she was making a final attempt to hurt him, but her hand fell away and she looked at him, pleading with her eyes.

He was confused for a moment and reached for the knife, withdrawing it. When he raised it up, the woman’s eyes lit up momentarily and then she coughed up more blood. 

It was now that Raph understood what she was asking him. “No…don’t..you can’t ask it of me…” he said softly. Her choking stopped him and she was no longer able to beg. She was suffering badly.

Leo was an honorable man and Raph had to think about what his brother would do in a situation like this. Leo was strong, merciful, and would always choose to do what was morally right. Without him here, this decision fell on Raph and he hated it. There would never be a time where he thought he would be a decision-maker, until now. Raph held up the knife and inspected the blade and then his eyes fell on her. He couldn’t take it…

“Okay…” Raph muttered. He needed to spare her as much pain as possible and he immediately undid the buckle of her camouflage jacket and separated the materials underneath until he exposed the chest. He felt along her ribs, determining where to do the deed. When his finger trailed between two ribs, he found a good spot and prepared to finish the job. “You’ll be free from pain in less than five seconds. I’m sorry…” Raph then held up the knife.

She closed her eyes, waiting. 

The knife came down quickly, cutting through tissue and sliding between bone until it struck the heart. Raph saw her chest convulse once before falling permanently. She became silent once the blade was removed…

_________________________________________________________

Michelangelo had awakened hours ago to a room with two other occupants and currently he was curled up with a girl in the corner of their cell. He was trying his hardest to calm her down. The poor thing had a massive anxiety attack when she woke up to find her twin sister dead. He suspected that Stockman had given the two girls the serum and one of them had a severe allergic reaction. The sister lying in his arms was shaking, terrified that her twin’s fate would be her own. 

“It’s gonna be okay. We’ll get out of here,” Mikey said, rubbing her back. His fingers connected with scales and normal human skin. She was changing and showing signs of fatigue, just like Bethany. This woman was probably a year or two younger though. It was odd, the moment she noticed Mikey in the cell with her, she barely said a word. But he supposed his appearance would be the last thing on her mind as she mourned. 

She pulled the sweater he’d given her tighter around her cold body. The soldiers originally took her and her sister’s clothing, leaving them naked in a frozen cell. When Mikey awakened, he gave her some of his clothes and quickly introduced himself, but she was much more shy and so he did not know her name yet. However she did mention she and her sister were having coffee together and discussing work before they were taken. 

They sat in the corner in silence for a while, at least until the poor girl started squirming painfully and she cried out. She flopped to her side and reached for her lower back. Mikey quickly lifted the sweater and saw that the worst part of her mutation had begun and there was nothing he could do. The tailbone was forming and breaking through the skin above her rear. Blood trickled to the floor and formed the beginnings of a puddle. 

“It hurts!” she screamed as she attempted to roll on her back. 

“No, no! Don’t roll over! We don’t want any dirt to get on it!” Mikey said with urgency. He pressed his palm on her tummy and the other on her hip to keep her on her side and avoid touching the growth or her back. When the bone finished breaking through the skin, she quieted down to a dull moan. Mikey kept talking to her to help ease her through the pain over the next several hours. He checked her back every thirty minutes or so. The tail had grown nearly two feet and still had a ways to go. The muscle and skin started to form around it, coloring it with a patchy bronze and tan pattern to match the rest of her skin. Her body was nearly covered with the new tones, except for her belly and parts of her face. Her hair remained the same simple black.

It was unknown to them what time it was, but Mikey could tell the girl was nearly finished with her mutation. It was much faster than Bethany’s and told him that Stockman must have improved the formula. The poor girl was lying on the floor, writhing and crying as the last of her skin scaled over. When it was over, she sighed and relaxed her head onto Mikey’s lap, taking deep breaths and grateful it was over with. 

He stroked the top of her head, whispering comforting words to her and fixing the sweater so her torso was covered. “It’s over. You’re gonna be okay now.” He felt her head move as she nodded. “So, miss…what is your name anyways? You know mine, I would love to know yours.”

She closed her eyes and whispered, “Audrey…” 

He was exhausted like she was, both suffering from sleep deprivation and since they had nothing but the cold floor to sleep on, Mikey adjusted his position so he was lying on his side. “I’m glad to meet you, Audrey,” he said smoothly. She didn’t really catch his humor, but it was probably due to her passing out. She had a hard day and rest would help. He would look after her, at least until he was asleep too, but for now he just studied her face. He’d never seen another mutant until recently; Bethany and now Audrey. Where the other prisoners mutating as well? Most likely, if Stockman has his way. When he looked at her, he noticed how her coloration resembled that of a diamond pattern. Her arms, legs, and tail had lines of diamonds all the way to the tips. One had formed on her forehead as well. It was different, but he kind of liked her appearance. 

He kept his eyes open as long as he could, but not knowing the hour made him bored and he slept for a good long while. At least until someone barged open the cell door and he awakened to a rifle pointing in his face. Audrey screamed when one of the soldiers grabbed her by the hair.

“What the hell?! Haven’t you done enough to this girl?” Mikey shouted as Audrey was dragged out the door and he followed shortly after. His wrists were chained together and the soldiers led him down the lengthy corridors until they entered a new lab. Inside he spotted his brothers, Bethany, and one other girl who was also mutated. The only problem is Leo and Don were chained to the wall again with tubes hooked to their arms. Another withdrawal was in progress, but nowhere near as much was taken. 

Mikey found himself being hooked up himself, chains keeping his limbs on the wall. Audrey was pushed forward and into a chamber with the other two women at gunpoint. The girls huddled together inside the cylindrical tank, not questioning each other, but they knew they were suffering just the same. 

When the girls were secure and the turtles hooked up, Stockman finally made his appearance. 

“Good morning everyone!” Stockman said cheerfully, almost sickeningly. There was an unusual skip in his step telling the turtles that he planned to do something cruel. “Today I would like to conduct another experiment.” He stepped towards the turtles. “Gentlemen, your blood has provided my team with so much information and thanks to our dear lady in the tank…” He peered at Bethany for a moment. “My team was able to draw enough proteins from her dna to create an advanced version of the ML serum. As you can see, we developed three very different specimens…”

Donatello stared intently at the women, who were terrified. Stockman was right, each girl had a different pattern and some differing features. There must have been a couple types of reptiles used to give them variation. He observed as the scientists sealed the tank and moved to different stations, some to continue work on the turtles and the others, he wasn’t sure. However Stockman noticed his lack of shouting like Leo and Mikey and approached.

“I’m very impressed with how quickly the girl’s back is healing. When we checked her, the wounds were nearly closed and so I deem her fit for further tests. Very good job on her injuries, I’m impressed with your medical skills, turtle,” Stockman said. “Now then, shall we?” He returned to the console in front of the tank. “Since we have an idea of your healing capabilities, we are going to test your lung capacity.”

“What the?” Mikey blurted out as Stockman flipped a few switches and turned a dial on the console. 

The turtles suddenly panicked when water started to flood the inside of the tank, causing the girls to panic and jump to their feet. They were screaming and banging on the thick glass, pleading for help. Stockman only laughed at them and turned the water pressure up. 

“Stop this! You’ll kill them!” Leo shouted.

“They’re gonna drown!” Mikey screeched. 

“Possibly, but we have replacements,” Stockman replied and his attention remained on the women.

“Please, turn the water off!” Julie cried. 

“Let us go!” begged Audrey.

Bethany was terrified, but she tried to keep her cool and see if there was a way to shatter the glass. She kicked at it, punched, tried to push against it with her shoulder. It wouldn’t give way. 

The water had risen up to the girl’s waists and Julie was having the hardest time dealing with it. She was overwhelmed with anxiety and fear. Audrey had grabbed the teenager and held her tightly, trying to calm her. 

“Let them out of there, Stockman!” Leo demanded again, “They can’t survive this!”

“We don’t know that.” Stockman turned on the final dial, causing the water to rise more and a metal frame to lower downwards from the ceiling of the tank. It was a frame meant to push the tank’s inhabitants downwards. The water was up to their shoulders. 

After several minutes of silence, Don suddenly figured out Stockman’s game. “Wait a second…that’s not plain H2O.”

“Ah…so you figured it out, huh?” Stockman chuckled. 

Don scowled at Stockman. “It’s still cruel to subject these women to this! They might not survive regardless!”

“What’s going on?” Leo questioned.

Don sighed, “That fluid being pumped into the tank is perfluorocarbon, a highly oxygenated liquid. If the girls are completely submerged, they have a change of making it if they take the fluid into their lungs. But they can’t stay in there too long because the fluid loses its oxygen after a bit.” He watched as the frame descended upon the girls.

“How do you know?” Leo asked.

“The color of the liquid. It’s not normal. Plus I highly doubt Stockman would throw away three perfectly good specimens. He’d lose money on the deal…” Don growled. 

“So they might be able to make it?” Mikey asked, frightened for the women. 

“Possibly…” Don then turned his attention to the tank. “Girls! You can’t break that glass without outside help. You have no choice!” The frame was right above their heads and slowed in speed, as if delaying the inevitable. “Take the fluid into your lungs! It’ll sustain you for a while! You won’t drown!” 

“What?!” Bethany cried as the frame now settled on her head and began pushing her down. “D-Donnie! Please…oh my god!”

All of the girls were screaming as the metal forced them under. They tilted their heads up to try and take in air before they completely submerged. Then the screams ended…

The turtles watched in terror as the women pressed their hands on the glass and peered out at the scientists. No one moved an inch to help. Leo and Mikey were fighting against their chains, trying to break them. Don couldn’t take his eyes off the women. They were struggling in the tank, each one holding their breath, against his earlier instructions. Bethany had pressed herself against the glass, looking at Don and pleading with her eyes. They were running out of time. The only he could do for her was encourage her to take that first breath. He then simulated taking in a large gulp of air and letting it out slowly. Hopefully she could see him enough to get the idea. “Come on, Bethany! Take it in!” Don shouted.

His voice was muffled, but Bethany registered a few words. Her lungs were screaming for air and she knew she was drowning. She drifted down to the bottom of the tank, sitting and contemplating her life and her son. Luke was still out there and she wasn’t going to be there to watch him grow up. She closed her eyes, ready to let the darkness take her, until she felt one of the other girls bump into her. Her eyes shot open in the cloudy water. It was the girl called Julie and she was slowly passing out, causing Bethany to panic. There was no way she could watch this girl die! She couldn’t leave her son behind. The other women, Audrey had been trying her hardest to shake Julie awake, but she was starting to lose consciousness herself. 

Then Bethany realized what she had to do and opened her mouth to pull in a large mouthful of water. It hit her lungs hard and she felt her body go into shock. Her limbs froze momentarily and then convulsed shortly after. 

“Donnie, what’s happening to her?!” Leo cried as he watched Bethany sink to the floor and he limbs twitched. 

“She let out the last of her air and took in the fluid. Her body’s going through an adjustment.”

“Looks more like she’s drowning!” 

Don quickly responded, “It’s a normal reaction! Humans breathe liquid for nine months before they are born. Her body will remember!” 

The turtles waited and watched as it was all they could do. Bethany lie there motionless for a moment and then suddenly she pulled herself upright slowly. It was hard to breathe, but every couple of seconds she took in fluid as if she were breathing air. Don could see she was now in a state of relaxation. “Look at her chest, she’s doing it!”

Leo and Mikey saw her breasts gently move up and down with every new intake and they were relieved, but now the other two girls were the ones in trouble. Audrey was panicking still and Julie had fallen to the bottom of the tank, not moving. 

“Julie!” Leo screamed. 

“She held her breath and passed out! Stockman, let them out!” Don yelled.

“There’s still one subject in there. We need to see if she can adapt. The government is going to pay me a boat-load for testing this!” Stockman said. 

“When we get loose, we’re going take you out!” Mikey growled.

Everyone focused on the tank as Bethany quickly swam to Audrey and grabbed her by the shoulders. She was doing the best she could to try and get Audrey to take a breath. She patted on her chest and pointed to her throat and waved her hand around in the water. Hopefully, the idea had gotten across. 

In Audrey’s mind, she thought Bethany was crazy but she saw how her tank-mate was okay and did the inevitable…

Upon taking a breath of liquid, Audrey went through the same stages of anxiety and convulsions. Bethany held the woman’s hands to help her through it and eventually, Audrey made it through the process. She lowered herself to the floor and sat in confusion. 

“And success! I suppose mind over matter is key here. Two survived. Better than we hoped!” Stockman said happily. “Team, join me in the cafeteria for a celebratory drink.” All of the scientists started to cheer.

“What, wait! You have to let the girls out!” Don shouted. 

“They’ll be fine in there for a while. They have you to keep them company!” Stockman then wandered to a coworker, “You stay here and watch their vital signs. Track them and call me if there’s any changes.” 

The male subordinate nodded his head as the remainder of the crew left with Stockman. Leo was so angry he wanted to rip off Stockman’s head and he started pulling at his chains again. He felt a surge of energy and started to yank even harder. The scientist that remained behind was busy with a computer and tracking the women. He didn’t even notice that Leo had managed to crack the cement surrounding the base of the chain and the bolts that held it in place were loosening. Another good tug and the bolts were separated. 

Hearing the metal crash to the floor caught the scientist’s attention, but he didn’t anticipate having a chunk of metal hitting him in the face. The plate to the chains crashed to the floor as the scientist tumbled over. Leo had one arm free, so he had to hurry. He had the strength of both arms to rip the other plate out of the wall and he slid the chains from his cuffs, freeing himself. Afterwards, he took out the intravenous line from his forearm and threw it aside before helping Don out first. It was easy with the two of them to rip the chains and in no time, Don was rushing for the tank console to see if he could drain it fast. 

Leo assisted Michelangelo and the three of them could get to work. Bethany and Audrey appeared okay, but Julie was unconscious. “Mikey, let’s look for a first aid kit and a defibrillator!” Leo said. 

Don had turned several dials, but there was no response form the tank. Growing frustrated, Don bashed his hands on the console. Usually he never let his temper flare, but when he saw Bethany and the girls in there, he flipped out. Mustering up his ager, he leapt at the tank feet first and crashed into it, shattering the glass. All of the water poured out, covering the floor with the light pink fluid. Julie’s body spilled out, as did the other two. Bethany and Audrey were on their hands and knees, choking and gagging. 

Leo and Mikey returned, sloshing through the calf-deep water and carrying the medical supplies. Don had already claimed Julie’s body and carried it over to a table. He pushed off the books and laptops and laid her across. “You guys help the other two, I’ll start on this one!”

Mikey rushed over to Audrey as she was throwing up a lot of liquid. She took her first few breaths of air and coughed hard. Her body got used to the fluid, but easily returned back to its normal state. “Take it easy, just get it all out…” 

Bethany was lying on her side, struggling to clear out her lungs. Leo had pressed gently on her belly to help and she finally threw up the fluid, including the amount in her lungs. After wards, she gasped and sucked in several breaths of air. 

“Guys!” Donnie cried.

Leo and Mikey rushed to their brother’s side to see that he had already begun treatment. 

“She has a pulse, but not breathing!” Don then moved to Julie’s head and he pinched her nose shut before sending two breaths of air through her mouth. He repeated the process a few times before placing two fingers on her neck, checking for a pulse. There was nothing. “Shit! Get the defibrillator ready!” Donnie then leapt up on top of the table, straddling Julie to begin chest compressions while Leo quickly opened the packaging for the machine. 

Bethany and Audrey were on the floor, shocked and fearful for the poor girl’s life. 

Not knowing if he could bring her back, Donnie knew he couldn’t give up. “She held her breath so long…” he muttered. It didn’t even matter if the fluid entered her lungs at any point. If she wasn’t breathing in new fluid, then she received no oxygen. Now she was probably full of oxygen-free water. “Mikey, grab a drainage tube from the med kit! We gotta get the water out of her system!” 

Mikey did as he was asked and just carried the large bag up to the table, opening it and under Don’s instruction, pulled out a device that would help flush the liquid from her lungs. Don took it and tilted back Julie’s head. He put the long tube into her mouth and pushed the line down her throat. Then he manually pumped out the pink fluid. 

Leo finished setting up the defib machine and rushed it over as Don climbed off the table. He took the pads out of the plastic sleeves and placed them on Julie’s body in their proper positions; above her right breast and on her left side upon the ribcage. The machine was ready and looking for a pulse, but did not find one. The machine signaled for everyone to back off and gave a few seconds to clear before shocking her. 

“C’mon…c’mon…” Mikey mumbled hoping the pulse would show up on the monitor. 

There was still nothing and the machine gave the order to continue cpr, which Don did. They prayed this would work as Don jumped back up on the table to keep at it. “Leo, give air while I do compressions!”

Leo stepped up to take that duty and removed the tube from her throat. As soon as Don gave the signal, he covered the girl’s lips with his own and gave her breaths. They continued this process for several minutes, hoping for the best…


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rescue efforts

Under Wraps Part 13

 

Don did another sequence of chest compressions after the defibrillator gave the order. Eventually he climbed off Julie, waiting for the machine to shock her again. The beep came around and a jolt shot through her body, causing her to convulse. Her arms flopped back to her sides and she was still once again. Don quickly checked the machine and saw that the line was no longer flat, “She’s got a pulse! Keep going Leo!” 

Leo kept giving the poor girl air as Don constantly watched her pulse and dug through the first aid kit, looking for a bag and mask. When he found the parts, he quickly put them together. “Leo, put this over her nose and mouth and squeeze every five seconds.” He handed the bag valve mask to his brother, who kept up with the instructions. 

Michelangelo felt he wouldn’t be much use at this time and focused on keeping the other two girls calm and if Donnie needed him to fetch something, he’d be ready. Bethany and Audrey were crying and holding each other, looking on as the turtles worked to save the teenager. 

Julie’s chest rose and fell with every squeeze of the bag valve and Leo was growing fearful that she wouldn’t come back, at least until he saw her eyelids twitch. “Don, look!” 

The two turtles hovered over Julie, watching her face for any movement and suddenly her eyes opened for a moment before her hands shot up, trying to pull the bag off her face. She was starting to panic. Don quickly grabbed her hands and pressed them to her tummy.

“Relax, relax! You’re all right…” Don said, trying to comfort her, “Just focus on breathing.”

She started coupling violently and her body shivered. 

“Mikey, find a blanket!” Leo said urgently.

The youngest brother did as he was told and started digging around the lab, looking for anything to cover Julie. Audrey and Bethany, feeling relieved, assisted as best they could. Their limbs were still weak from the experiment but they scattered around the room, pulling the shelves apart until they found hospital gowns and sheets. Audrey carried a couple of the linens to the table where Don took two and draped them over Julie as Leo kept on squeezing the bag valve, ensuring a healthy supply of oxygen for her. Bethany and Audrey put on hospital gowns and tied them in the front. 

Julie struggled for a little bit to catch her breath, but was slowly coming around. Bethany had approached the table first and took over the bag for Leo so he, Mikey, and Don could start scanning the labs and see if they could find an escape route. She peered down at the youngster and attempted to comfort her. “Don’t worry, we’re going to get out of here. I’ll look after you.” 

“O-okay…” Julie replied weakly. Her voice was nothing more than a whisper. 

“Can you sit up?” 

“I’ll try.”

Bethany put down the bag valve and took Julie’s hand to help her up. “It’s probably too soon, but we have to do the best we can. The turtles will take us underground where we’ll be safe.” It was odd of her to say, but Donnie was true to his word before. Their lair was a safe zone and to be honest, she was starting to feel safer living underground than on the surface, even when she was fully human. “C’mon…” She helped Julie to her feet and gave her a hospital gown. “Put this on.” 

Leo and Mikey were scouting out the double-doors, looking into the hall to see if security was on patrol while Don gathered a bunch of medical supplies, including a scalpel and stuffed them into a small satchel. 

“We gotta find our weapons and my gear,” Don said, throwing the satchel over his shoulder. “Lets put the girls between us and head down the northern tunnel. I remember we entered from the west side, but we took a detour halfway. I’m predicting our weapons to be on the far side of the building.”

“To keep us as far away as possible,” Leo said.

Don nodded. “Exactly.” 

“All right, girls you ready? Julie? Can you walk?” Leo asked. 

“I think so,” Julie replied as Bethany linked one of her arms with hers. 

“Let’s get this show on the road,” Mikey said.

Leo agreed, “We need to find the rest of the hostages first though. The cell block isn’t far from here.”

“What about security?” Don asked.

“Hm…Mikey and I will have to make a diversion. Donnie, you take the girls and go down the cell block while we go to the armory. There’ll be less security by the prisoners while they’re weakened. Easy for you to handle and the girls will be safer,” Leo explained. 

The group waited by the door until Leo gave the signal to split. He was peeking out into the hall again and when the coast was clear, he gave the order. He and Mikey took off in a flash while Don slowly led the girls in the other direction, passing by several more labs. They looked in every room to make sure there was no hostage inside. 

Eventually they encountered two scientists, which Don easily them took out with a swift punch to the gut each and he stuffed them into an empty cell and locked them in. The next human was an armed guard who patrolled the cell block. He managed to fire a round at them, but Don’s shell was strong enough to reflect the bullet and the unfortunate soldier received that bullet in his head. The body was stuffed into a closet and they continued until they reached the next cell block. Upon opening the first door, they spotted an unconscious male captive inside the cell. Don approached cautiously and knelt down next to him to check for signs of life. 

“This one’s dead,” Don said. 

The girls gasped and backed away from the door, huddling together in the hall. Don reappeared outside and pressed on. They moved along, passing three empty cells until they located another victim. The next occupied cell contained two. A woman and a man who appeared to have finished mutating recently. Both had tails and scaly skin, but the man was dark red while the girl was a gold tone. 

Don rushed into the cell and checked the woman first. She was scared of Donnie at first, but the man beside her quickly spoke up.

“Are you other captives?” he asked.

Don handed both of them a hospital gown, “Yeah, we’re escaping. C’mon, you and your friend are coming with us,” Don quickly said and he took the woman’s hand to help her up.

“This is my wife,” the man said. 

“Sorry, pleased to meet you both and it’s unfortunate what’s happened to you. Your names?” 

“Daniel. And this is Kerrigan.”

“Well, Daniel and Kerrigan, let’s get the hell out of here.” Leading the way, Don kept a close eye out for more victims. It was appearing hopeless when they passed by twelve empty cells. Then they stumbled upon a devastating scene…

When Don unlocked another door, he gasped. There was a mutant lying on the floor in a pool of blood and he saw that it was another female, heavily pregnant. 

Bethany peered inside. “Oh my god!” 

Julie gagged a bit and Audrey helped as best she could to keep the teenager from seeing this. Don was angry with how Stockman was using extremely vulnerable people. 

“Is she alive?!” Audrey cried.

Rushing into the cell and stepping across the puddle of blood, Don quickly bent over and dropped his fingers to the woman’s neck. “It’s faint, almost nonexistent. She won’t survive a trip to the labs where I can try to help her and she’s bleeding too quickly. She’s lost so much already…and I didn’t bring any supplies to revive her if she goes under.”

Bethany frowned.. She and the other girls looked at each other, not knowing what they could do. 

Not once did Don lift his fingers from the woman’s neck, at least not until the pulse stopped. “She’s gone.” 

“There’s nothing we can do for her?! The baby?” Bethany muttered.

“No. If the mom dies, so does the infant…” Kerrigan mentioned sadly and closed her eyes.   
The room fell silent…

Don peered at the dead woman and then at her belly. His thoughts were mixed, eating away at him. He wanted to murder Stockman for putting these poor people through this. It was an act of true evil that not even his father committed. Don grit his teeth and swung his bag around, ripping through its contents.

“What are you doing?” Bethany asked.

He rummaged through the bag until he retrieved a scalpel.

“Don?” Bethany asked.

He took the plastic safety cap off the blade. “The mother died…I’m not gonna let the infant go.” 

“What? Serious?” 

“I need your help, Bethany. Hurry! Time is running out!” Don shouted and he dropped to his knees, not caring about the blood staining his limbs and clothes. 

Bethany left Julie in Audrey’s embrace and she rushed to Don’s side. The others had filed out into the hallway to keep watch and give Don space to work. He began by rolling the dead woman onto her back and he tore away at the shredded garment wrapped around her body until her skin was exposed. “Okay…” he murmured, not entirely sure what he was doing. He studied her for a minute, trying to judge the best area to cut.

“Don’t hesitate!” Bethany said. 

“I’ve never done this before. Just not exactly sure what…well…” he said, nervously. 

“Like you said, we don’t have time to waste! Here! Look where my scar is!” she said and lifted her gown, showing him where she once had her surgery. The scar was about a half an inch below the hipbones. 

Having seen that, Don finally sucked in a deep breath and he quickly pressed the scalpel to the scaly skin and slid it across the abdomen, careful not to cut too deep. Blood poured from the wound and he had to work faster. He slipped his fingers into the gaping hole and pushed the skin apart until he could see the muscle fibers. They easily separated, revealing the internal organs. He almost gagged. No photos in a book ever made him feel ill, but this was very overwhelming. “I need you now. There’s the uterus. Grab here…” 

“There?” Bethany said, trying hard not to get sick herself. She grabbed onto the soft organ with both hands and gently lifted.

“Yeah, just hold the sac so I can cut without hurting the baby.” He carefully dragged the knife across the uterus until a flood of amniotic fluid gushed out. “Careful…” He then reached inside and felt the infant’s tiny body. He gently wrapped his fingers around the infant’s torso and pulled slowly. Out came the infant, wet and unmoving. Don only had a moment to look over the infant. Sadly, the baby had mutated, likely a result of the mother’s injection. This baby was a pale blue with a little bit of scaling and a stubby tail. The baby appeared okay physically, but Don was concerned if the infant would breathe on its own. He had Bethany unravel a thread from her gown while he flipped the baby onto its belly and held it across his forearm. He stuck his pinky in its mouth to make sure the airway was clear. Then he started to pat the baby on its back and rubbed to try and get it to move or cry. After a minute, Don was starting to lose hope until he heard a tiny whimper…

The infant gasped and then coughed before the crying took over. Don couldn’t help but smile when he turned the baby back over and watched the little one squirm. Arms still a bloody mess, he handed the baby off to Bethany after taking the thread from her and severing the infant’s umbilical. He tied off the cord. She took the bottom of her hospital gown and began wiping away the fluids from the baby’s face and torso. The cries were going to be a problem at this point. 

“Security will hear this,” Don said as he pulled a fresh gown out of the bag and gave it to Bethany. 

After wrapping the baby in the clean garment, the two of them exited the cell. They were greeted by the others, who were curious about the new baby, but they knew there were more pressing matters. 

______________________________________________________

Raphael was so close to Luke’s hiding spot and had managed to make it this far undetected. His limbs were scratched up and bleeding, thanks to pushing through trees and bushes with thorns. His feet were starting to get chilly again, but he ignored that. It didn’t take much longer for him to spot the large boulder where he stashed Luke. He looked out into the open and went with his gut instinct that there were no soldiers around. He dashed towards the boulder and peered into the crevice. “Luke! I’m back!” 

When no child appeared, Raph cursed and stuck his head into the crevice to find no kid. “Fuck!” The kid was gone! Luke was normally a good boy, would he have taken off? Doubtful. They must have found him and that worried Raph even more. Pissed off, he rushed back into the woods, heading back in the direction of the van to see if he could track his brothers and figure out how to get into the compound. There was no blood anywhere around the boulders, so Raph was sure that if Luke was taken, he wasn’t injured. 

He spent the better part of two hours tracing his way back to the van and eventually came across it. It had been ravaged and the equipment inside was scattered all over the ground. He quickly dug through the debris to see if there were any supplies left that he could use, but nothing. After leaving the van behind, Raph traveled the same direction his brothers disappeared in a few days ago. The trek was long, but led to an open field and a solitary lamppost stood. He studied the lamp, looking for any signs of entry to the compound. When nothing turned up, he grew frustrated and kicked the post. Then he lost his balance as the ground started moving and he was rising upwards. It stopped when he reached several feet in the air. He leapt down in front of the open hatch and saw a tunnel leading into darkness. 

“If the guys went this way, then so do I…” 

Raph descended the staircase and into the dark, knife in hand and ready to defend if someone attacked. He turned right at the first tunnel, not knowing exactly where he was headed. From what he could see, it was a storage facility and he pushed open the first door to his right. He was greeted with a large space filled with heavy artillery, from tanks to hummers. There was nothing he could carry from this room and he moved on until he barged into the next space. There were shipping crates everywhere and he wondered if there was something he could use. He pried open one crate with the blade of the knife and found a large supply of chemicals. He had no idea what it was and figured it was best left alone. Who knew if that shit could blow up with a single touch. When he attempted to bust open another, he heard something drop. It came from the other end of the large room and Raph spun around, ready to defend. He held the knife tight and peered around the space. There were so many crates standing in the way that whoever was in there with him had plenty of places to hide. 

He glanced around the room, looking for any sign of movement. When nothing showed itself, he actually thought his mind might be playing tricks on him, until something slammed into him from behind, knocking him to the floor. He was up again in a heartbeat, knife in hand when the object slammed into him again. However this time he was ready for it and quickly grabbed onto what felt like a limb. He swung it hard and threw it against a wall. A body went flying across the room and Raph charged forward to see what it was. He was ready to strike at whatever he encountered or kill it if need be. 

The attacker was quick and back on their feet immediately. Raph growled and watched as the enemy stepped out of the shadows and into the dim overhead lighting. Then Raph started to chuckle, “Heh…you hit pretty hard for a girl…” 

It was a woman who struck him and knocked him on his ass. He almost put his knife away as a mockery to her. “So what next, sweetheart?” Raph asked. He studied her and from what he could tell, she was another one of Stockman’s henchmen, but she was different. It looked as though Stockman had experimented on her as well. Her skin was bronze and dark brown and she had a tail that doubled in length from Bethany’s, plus what looked like beads on the end of that tail. Her clothing was torn in several places, suggesting that she’d been fighting for a while. She was unique all right. Raph grew impatient waiting for her to respond. “C’mon honey, I ain’t got all night!”

She drew a knife from her belt, “Pushy bastard, aren’t ya doll?” she replied with a very heavy Brooklyn accent and a hint of sarcasm.

“Ah! From my neck of the woods, eh? I like ya already…let’s do this, darlin’!” Raph shouted and he gestured for her to come. “Take yer best shot!”

“Fine by me!” she yelled back before rushing him, leaping into the air and bringing her knife down on him. 

He easily blocked the attack and laughed. “Gotta do betta’ than that!” Their weapons clashed together again and they were face to face for a moment where he could see her eyes. They were a pale grey. His eyes quickly traveled to her cheekbones and lips. She had a heart-shaped face which was covered in light scaling. It really caught his attention and the fact that she wasn’t afraid to take him head-on made her all the more likable. But there was a thing or two he could teach her…

The girl landed a knee to his stomach hard enough to mess with his balance and Raph reciprocated with a palm to her belly. He wasn’t putting forth his full strength knowing he’d probably send her to the hospital with one good hit and to be honest, he wanted to draw out this fight. It clearly pissed her off that he took it easy.

“The hell’s the matter? You afraid to hit a girl?!” she growled.

Raph grinned. “I’ve thrown a girl around before, don’t tempt me!” 

“How’s this for temptation!” The girl got a running start and launched herself off a crate and over Raph’s head. Her tail had wrapped around Raph’s neck and she yanked him backwards until he crashed into a piled of small boxes. His knife fell a few feet away. Without removing her tail from his throat she leapt onto his chest, her knee pressed against his plastron and her knife held against his cheek. 

“You got s-spirit,” Raph uttered, his voice weakened from the strangle-hold. “B-ut…still not g-good enough!” He quickly forced his palm upwards, pushing against her neck and he gripped her armed hand, using brute strength to pull the knife away from his cheek. “Ya outclassed sweetheart!” He pressed forward, sitting up and taking her with him. 

She was now on her back against the concrete with him on top. The tails of his bandana dangled in her face and she shook her head to keep them from tickling. Her body was crushed underneath his, unable to escape. Her legs were spread eagle with his torso pinning her hips down. “Get off me!” she cried and threw a punch to his cheek. 

“Cut it out, girly…” Raph barked and took her other hand. He forced her arms up overhead and easily held them with one hand. “Why did ya attack me?” 

“I’ve seen ya before…years ago. I remember Sacks bringing ya here and testing ya. I was young then and never got a shot at you! After the project failed, Sacks ordered most of us dead and the rest to be lab experiments! I survived em all and I blame you turtles for puttin’ me here! Your escape sent me to hell! This latest serum put me in a new body and now Stockman’s sendin’ soldiers to try and kill me! Just another fucking test to see if I survive! And then I bump into you…so now’s my chance to kill ya!” 

“Not gonna happen and I’m sorry ya got labeled as an experiment. Now you know exactly how my brothers felt years ago. But right now I’m lookin’ for a kid and my brothers and don’t have time to fight ya. They’re here somewhere and if I don’t find them soon, they’re gonna end up like you.” He looked at her again, seeing that there was something more behind her fierce eyes. It was fear. “I can tell ya been through a lot. What if I offer ya the chance to escape with me? Will that end yer personal vendetta against me and my family?”

She thought about it for a minute. Escaping with this turtle would be a lot easier. Only moments before she started her battle with him did she kill two soldiers who hunted her. She was getting tired and not sure how much longer she could hold out. “I don’t…how do I know I can trust ya?”

“That’s up to you. Stay here and be tested for the rest of yer life or ya take off with me and be rid of this fucked up place.” He then let go of her arms as a gesture of good faith and allowed her get up. 

She then let her tail fall away from his neck and allowed him to get up. Her hand extended outwards to him. “Fine. I accept, but if ya try anything…”

“Relax…I ain’t gonna.” He climbed up off his knees and fetched his knife and grabbed hers as well. “But you betta’ not try anything either.” He gave back her blade and she slipped it into its sheath on her belt. 

“You said you’re lookin’ for a kid?” she mentioned. 

“Yeah.”

“I heard one screamin’ about an hour ago. Couldn’t really tell how young, but he was being dragged into the compound.” 

Raph turned around. “You know where they took him?” 

“Possibly the prisoner block…or the labs…” 

Raph grabbed onto her shoulder and pushed her forward. “Lead the way lady.” 

“Watch it, freak…” she grumbled and started moving towards the hallway. “I still have my knife.”

The insult made Raph nearly bust out laughing. “Already forgot you had a makeover? Your knife don’t scare me either, darlin’. I can handle ya…now get movin’.” With her a few feet in front of him, Raph still kept his guard up in case she tried to swindle him. As he watched her from the back, he studied her form. That tail was crazy long and he could see some of the skin on her legs where her clothes were torn. Patches of blood littered her body, which meant she was at least telling the truth about fighting for her life. Not only that, they passed a body lying in the corridor. “How many people you kill?” 

“Hm, maybe…twelve? Why?” she asked.

“Because that’s twelve less that we gotta kill now.”


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mother...

It had been hours since they searched the prisoner block and Don was no closer to finding Bethany’s mother or his brothers for that matter. The group was growing weary, especially Julie and the new baby. Bethany struggled to keep the little one quiet and Don was forced to take the group into storage room where there were no security cameras or guards. For the time being, they’d be safe. Right off the bat, Don started wiping down his arms and hands with a spare gown, trying to remove the dried blood. There was no way it was coming off without some water and soap.

“He’s hungry,” Bethany said, adjusting her arms. They grew tired from carrying the baby in the same position.

“Oh its a boy?” Audrey asked. 

“Yeah, sorry. We wrapped him up so fast and left the cell in such a rush I didn’t really think about the gender. Anyways, we gotta find some formula or something. He’s going to dehydrate fast if we don’t get some vitamins into him.” 

Don sighed and threw down the soiled garment, having given up. “We’ll have to find the stockrooms. With a bunker this big, I’m pretty sure there’ll be a large storage with rations. I can probably concoct a supplement for him that’ll work as a temporary formula until we get out of here.” 

“We’ll have to find it soon, otherwise he’ll start crying and alert the guards. But its not safe to take all of us,” Bethany said.

“Right,” Don agreed. “I’ll go out and find some food and bring back whatever I get. Hopefully there’s something I can use to make formula.”

“I’m going with you,” Bethany said.

“No. Everyone stays here. I’m going alone.” 

“You’re not going to fit everything in that small bag. You need another set of arms,” Bethany argued. 

“I’ll find a larger bag.”

“What if there isn’t one?” 

“Don’t argue! Stay put,” Don commanded and he glanced over at Daniel. “Hey, Dan was it?”

“Daniel, but whatever,” he replied.

“Sorry. So, you have any training? Fighting, weaponry?”

“I was a marine six years ago. Might be a little rusty, but I was a sergeant and handled a lot of heavy machinery.” 

“How about hand-to-hand combat?” Don asked. 

“Was part of the job.”

“Good, you okay to look after the girls for a while, Sergeant?” 

Daniel smiled. “Be an honor to serve once again.” 

Don dropped a hand on Daniel’s shoulder as a sign of respect and he prepared to head out. He slid his bag off his shoulder and started pulling out supplies, leaving the girls and Daniel with whatever they could use in case someone got a minor injury. He kept the scalpel, latex gloves, and a few bandages just in case before slinging the bag back up. “I’ll return soon.” He then moved towards the storage door and silently slipped through before disappearing. 

Daniel had the women move to the other side of the room, but Bethany stayed close to the door, still holding the baby. “Bethany, come on this side. It’s safer.” 

Bethany turned and looked at the others. She moved towards them, approaching Kerrigan first. “Can you take him? My arms are getting a little sore.” 

“Sure,” Kerrigan said and she accepted the baby boy. “I love babies.”

“Good, because you’re gonna watch him for a while,” Bethany said and she jogged towards the door.

“W-wait! Where’re you going?” Kerrigan asked. 

“You need to stay here!” Daniel barked and he attempted to block Bethany’s path.

Before getting near the exit, Bethany spotted a pipe on the wall that was hanging clumsily. It needed to be unscrewed, which she easily did. “Listen, Daniel. My mother is still missing and I’m very determined to find her before Stockman experiments on her. She’s old and I refuse to let her suffer the same way we did. After seeing how the pregnant woman died in such a vulnerable state, I’m really concerned. My mother is diabetic and I doubt she’ll survive mutation. I need to get to her first! You try and stop me and I’ll put this bar through your eye!” 

“Don said to stay here!” Daniel cried and he wrapped his hand around the bar, trying to take it from her, but Bethany quickly brought her knee up and nailed Dan in the stomach, which was only a temporary disabler. It was enough time for her to slip out the door and run down the hall and out of sight. She wasn’t sure which way Donnie went, but she took a wild guess at an intersecting corridor and dashed down the hall. At one point, she overheard people talking and they were heading in her direction! She stopped in her tracks, terrified because she only had the pipe in her hand and nothing else to defend herself with. Plus there was nowhere to hide! She looked around the hall, wondering what to do and she nearly started to cry. Her hand planted against the wall and she suddenly regretted leaving the others. 

The voices were coming closer. In fact, they sounded like they were running and she was almost out of time! Her head spun around, eyes looking desperately for a hiding place and only spotted the piping above. It wouldn’t be enough to hide her but she had to try anyways. She jumped and found she couldn’t reach without assistance. The guards were coming closer and right around the corner! Her adrenaline was moving and this time she kicked off the wall, her foot using a crack as leverage and she was able to grab a pipe. She was never good at climbing, but a swing of her feet and her tail suddenly wrapping around a pipe allowed her to ease her way up. She squeezed between the larger of the pipes and waited for the soldiers to pass underneath. 

She could see them jogging down the hall and she prayed they didn’t spot her. She shut her eyes in fear and listened as the men spoke. There was a quick mention of escaped captives except for cell block F. Not once did the men look up and Bethany breathed a sigh of relief when they disappeared. She slowly slipped out of the tangled mess of pipes and dropped to the floor. When she landed, she noticed something unusual about her arms and legs. They were gray in color and splotchy…just like the pipes. She then inspected her tail. It was the same and she caught on.

“Camouflage…” she muttered. Everything except her gown was colored just like the piping. This would come in extremely handy. With her own pipe in hand, she started trotting down the hall again, looking for a sign to point her to cell block F. It took over twenty minutes before she even found one. 

The corridor was long and there were doors everywhere. She peeked into each cell, almost all of them being empty except for the last one…

Bethany pulled open the lock and the metal door creaked open. Inside was a woman restrained to the wall with a metal choker around her neck and a heavy chain dangling from the ceiling, keeping her centered in the room. The grey hair dangling around the prisoner’s face looked familiar and Bethany cried out. She rushed into the room, not caring if an enemy heard her. “Mom? Mom!” she wailed and brushed aside her mother’s hair. She was not responding. “Mom….oh my god! Please wake up!” Bethany begged, shaking her mother’s shoulders. She started bawling when her mother refused to awaken. “No, no, no! Please don’t be dead!” 

After trying so hard to get a response, Bethany knew in her heart that her mother had passed away. Judging by the state of the body, her mom had been tested with the serum, but died mid-mutation. Her limbs were discolored and swollen and her face was covered in bruises. She’d been beaten and tortured. Now she wished she never trusted Cassie in the first place. If she’d only stayed put like the turtles asked her to in the beginning, her mother would still be alive. She slumped to her knees and dropped her hands to the floor, in a state of disbelief. Her tears fell and she began to sob. “M-mom…”

Her crying had attracted a set of ears, ones that were friendly. Donatello had appeared in the doorway and spotted the tearful woman on the floor, crying at her mother’s feet. He wanted to berate her for leaving the safety of the storage unit, but he didn’t have the heart to. Instead, he slipped inside, approaching slowly. “Beth…”

She was startled for a moment, but didn’t turn around. The voice computed in her head and she relaxed her shoulders, but her tears wouldn’t stop flowing. “Donnie…I’m so…lost now…” She hiccuped and sniffled, wiping away her tears as they dripped over cheeks. 

Don approached the pair and he looked at Bethany’s mother, lifting his hand to her neck. No pulse. They were too late. He guessed this woman had been dead for a few hours now. Afterwards, he knelt down and hooked his arms underneath hers, helping her to her feet. “C’mon, there’s nothing we can do now.” Once she was on her feet, he draped an arm around her shoulders and guided her back out of the cell. As they walked, Don listened to her gentle sobs and attempted to comfort her by stroking her back. At the same time, he needed to be vigilant in case they encountered an enemy. So far they were lucky and eventually found their way into a new sector of the compound. A quick descent down some stairs and a quick beating to a supply guard later, Don kicked open the door to a large storage room and they were greeted with wall-to-wall shelves of food and supplies. 

Bethany was still incredibly mopey after her horrible reunion with her mother and only paced around in a circle, not really searching for anything. 

“Beth. You okay?” Don asked. 

She suddenly grew angry. Of course she wasn’t okay! She just saw her mother’s body in a cell and one-by-one, her family was being destroyed! She ran her fingers through her hair and closed her eyes, then she suddenly started pulling at her strands as hard as she could. The stress was too much…

Don heard her begin to scream and he stopped what he was doing to rush to her side. She was having a massive panic attack and she fell to the floor, her breathing sped up and her body started shaking. “Beth! Just calm down! Relax!” He pushed a loose strand out of her face and tried to pull her into his lap. “You’re okay, you’re okay! Just take a breath.” 

The tremors refused to stop. Bethany allowed Don to pull her head in his lap. “Donnie, y-you have…n-no idea what I’m g-going through…” 

He frowned. “You’re partially right, I suppose. I’ve never lost a spouse, well an ex-spouse. But I have lost a parent. My father, remember? We told you that he passed away. Was the most important figure in our lives. I took it pretty hard, almost as hard as Raph. I shut myself up in my lab for weeks and refused to speak to anyone. Not until Leo knocked on my door and had a lengthy conversation with me. He really stepped up. I had my new support beam; my brother. Now I treat him like a father figure, same as my other two brothers. We needed Leo as that support. It was the best thing that ever happened to us since Splinter died.” He peered down at her and saw her eyes were red, but her tears slowed down some. Her body wasn’t shaking as much. His words were calming her and he relaxed a little himself before continuing. “You need someone as your beam now, Beth.”

Bethany sniffed and thought about what he said. She had her son and her father and brother left, but she couldn’t see her dad and brother in her current state. “I only have Luke now,” she whispered. 

“No, there’s more than Luke. You’ve got…y-you’ve got…” he struggled to finish the sentence.

Bethany sat up, not facing Donnie, but still listening. For some reason, she felt that her broken heart was being lifted out of her chest and healing before her eyes. Her shaking had nearly stopped and she was able to turn around and look him in the eye and she finally said, “You’re right. I just couldn’t see it. No, I didn’t want to see it before. Now, it’s obvious…” 

Donnie swallowed hard and brought his hand up to her jaw, letting it slide to the nape of her neck. His thumb caressed her cheek and he finally found the courage to finish. “You’ve got me now, love…” 

She smiled and brought her hand up, curling her fingers around his. She closed her eyes briefly and let two more tears fall. 

He rubbed away the solitary tear on her left cheek as he glanced over her lips. They looked so inviting…and he couldn’t help but lean in and capture that soft pout in a tender kiss. Now he was certain that what happened between them the other night was legitimate and not just Bethany redirecting her emotions. He held the innocent kiss for a while, at least long enough to pull her closer and share in the warmth of her body for a couple minutes. Afterwards, he held her in a sweet embrace before she was relatively back to normal. Her shaking stopped and her crying had ended. Only her swollen eyes remained, evidence of her heartache. It was now that he let go of her and decided they needed to begin raiding the room for goods. “We have to start searching for supplements and food and water. The baby is waiting on us.” 

Bethany nodded and she climbed to her feet. Her loss was still eating away at her, but she’ll be damned to allow a baby to die. The two of them separated and began pulling apart the shelving, digging through cans and boxes. There was so much to sort and Bethany had to climb up a shelf or two since they were out of her reach. There was a large stack of cans at the very top and she pulled one down to read the label. “Protein powder. Don, will this stuff work?” She dropped the can into his hand once he approached. 

“It’ll be one ingredient, yes. But we still need something with mixed vitamins and iron. If you find any water, grab it.” He went back to the other set of shelves and tore through the packages. He found granola bars and other things like dried fruit and jerky. He stuffed several packages in his bag along with the protein powder. The bag was slowly filling up. 

“I think I found something,” Bethany said. She pulled down another can and jumped off the shelf. “Vitamin and mineral powder.” She handed over the potential ingredient just as Don collected several bottles of distilled water. 

“Good, this’ll have to do. At least the protein has a vanilla extract in it so it won’t be flavorless. Hopefully the baby will take it.” He put the small can into his bag and zipped it closed. “Bag’s full. Let’s head back.” 

 

___________________________________________________

 

Leonardo and Michelangelo had their hands full with a group of militants and their guns. When the turtles located the armory, they attempted to be cautious, but Mikey accidentally tripped a wire and set off an alarm. So now they had to deal with a group of men, completely weaponless against heavy gunfire. Leo already promised to give Mikey the workout of a lifetime when they returned home. For now, they plowed through a hail of bullets and fists flew as they took out soldiers one by one. Leo took on a particularly large guy who was swinging a kabar knife at him and he dodged a strike and followed up with an elbow to the man’s gut. Mikey was doing what he did best; speeding around the room and nailing the militants in the head with his feet. He was the fastest turtle and he had no problem showing off. 

Several more bullets went flying and the turtles took cover, crouching down so their shells took the brunt of the attack. The bullets bounced everywhere, ricocheting off objects and some returned to those who fired them. Several men fell to the floor, dead. When the firing stopped, Leo turned slightly and saw the enemies scattered all over the floor, unmoving. “Coast is clear,” he said. 

The two of them cautiously stepped over the bodies, heading towards the back of the armory. If their weapons were here, they’d be locked up somewhere out of sight. When they almost made it, they heard a groan and Mikey jumped nearly a mile in fright.

“Calm down…” Leo whispered and he turned to look at what made the pained sound. There was a human leaning up against a wall, holding his leg and moaning. Obviously hit by a reflected bullet. Leo approached the soldier and reached to grasp him by the shirt. He yanked him to his feet. “Where do you keep prisoner belongings?” he yelled in the injured man’s face.

The soldier did not answer. 

“Talk!” Leo demanded.

“Maybe he doesn’t speak english,” Mikey said.

“Focus, Mikey…” Leo said and he pressed a hand against the soldier’s throat. “You gonna talk or do I have to strangle it out of you?” His patience were growing thin with this man and his refusal. When the soldier only spit in Leo’s face, the angry turtle slammed the soldier onto the floor, still holding him by the neck. “Let’s do this the hard way then.” Keeping his grip, Leo dropped his other hand to the man’s injured leg and he harshly grabbed the bloody thigh and started to squeeze. 

“Gaaah!!” the soldier screeched as a world of pain was inflicted on his limb. 

Blood gushed out of the wound and dribbled down Leo’s hand, but he did not let go. “Speak! Where’s our weapons?!” he growled. 

“I d-don’t know!” the soldier yelled back, but he cried out even louder when the turtle squashed his thigh again, this time with more force.

“We’ll do this until you spill it!” Leo barked and pressed even harder.

“Fuckin’ bastards!” the soldier yelled, voice strained and clearly in agony. 

It was now that Leo tried something different. “Hold him,” he told Michelangelo. His brother did as he asked and claimed the soldier’s arms, keeping him upright while Leo took to ripping the pant leg of the soldier’s fatigues covering the wound. Once the skin was exposed, Leo brought his thumb down to the bullet hole in his leg and slid it inside, causing more damage and pain. The soldier couldn’t take it anymore and started to plead for them to stop.

“Don’t f-fucking….do that!” the soldier groaned. His leg was on fire and his breathing was labored. 

Leo did not let up on his torment, at least not until the soldier finally broke.

“S-stop! Enough! All right I’ll talk!” he cried. He felt a load of relief when the turtle’s digit pulled out of his wound. “There’s a k-key on that soldier’s belt down there…” He looked over at a downed soldier by the doorway. “Just get it and go back out into the c-corridor. The prisoner storage unit is two doors down.” 

Mikey continued to hold the soldier until Leo fetched the set of keys from the corpse and then they shuffled out into the corridor, following the new instructions and keeping the soldier close in case he lied to them. They found a door labeled ‘Enemy Arms’ and Leo tried several keys before one finally opened the heavy steel door. All three of them entered and Leo began searching around, pushing aside several high caliber rifles and an assortment of other weapons. 

“Where are they?” Leo muttered and he opened a large chest to find knives, brass knuckles, and other small arms. It was wall-to-wall weapons, like searching for a needle in a haystack. 

“Hey Leo.” 

“Yeah?” Leo replied, not looking at his brother as he spoke. 

Mikey gestured to a part of the wall that looked unusual. “What about there? There’s a crack in the wall.”

Leo looked in the same direction as his brother and spotted the large crack in the wall. He jogged over to the chipping cement and reached up, grabbing a large chunk. The wall came crumbling down and Leo smiled. “Good call, Mikey!” Leo reached into the wall and pulled out Donatello’s staff and his gear. He slipped the oversized pack on his shell. “How does Donnie do it? This stuff’s heavy…” Then he retrieved his swords and had to slide them into his belt since his shell was already occupied. Mikey’s nunchuks and Raph’s sais were next. 

Mikey’s face lit up when he saw his weapons. “Boy did I miss them!” 

“Put the guy down. We’re gonna look for the others and get the hell out of here.”

The soldier collapsed to the floor and Mikey took his weapons. “You want me to carry anything?” 

“Take Raph’s weapons, but keep them on your person. Raph’s still under punishment.” 

Mikey nodded. “I’ll make sure these are safe. So, what about this guy?” He then tapped his foot on the soldier lying unconscious at their feet. 

“We lock him in here. They’ll come looking for him eventually,” Leo said and he led the way out of the storage unit. Afterwards, he locked the door and he and Mikey were rushing back down the corridor, determined to find their brothers. They didn’t need to get far before they heard more rapid gunfire and people shouting. One voice sounded like a woman and there was an overload of men yelling. 

Leo and Mikey picked up the pace, curious to see who was fighting. Upon arrival at a vehicle hangar, they saw that several militants were shooting at two mutant figures, one they recognized immediately.

“It’s Raph!” Mikey cried. 

“Shh! We don’t want to attract the soldier’s attention yet. We’re gonna help Raph, but sneak in and take out as many as you can before they discover us,” Leo said. 

From inside the hangar, Raphael and his new female companion were busy fighting back against the soldiers. The girl was pretty vicious and went as far as biting and jamming her newly acquired knives into her enemies. In a way, Raph found her methods unorthodox and unpredictable but he really liked her savage nature. Having gained a pair of knives himself, he stuck to the ways of his master and brothers, only killing if he had to. In this case, he was forced to take out a dozen or so since they were backed into a corner, face-to-face with guns. Most bullets missed them, but a few managed to graze his flesh, leaving marks here and there. Others just reflected off his shell. When the soldiers took the time to reload, the two of them attacked outright and claimed as many enemies as possible. 

Eventually, they started to fatigue and had to rotate their attacks; one rests for a moment and the other fights. Soon enough, they were overwhelmed. The bullets came whizzing by at a greater rate and they were running out of ideas. 

“Fuck this, let’s just rush in and take out as many as we can!” she growled.

Raph had to chuckle. That sounded like something he would say to Leo, but he knew better than to run into battle half-cocked now. “You want a death sentence? Be my guest, darlin.’ But I got other plans!” 

“Like what, chicken-shit?!” she retorted.

“Don’t you be callin’ me names, bitch! I’m more than happy to accommodate ya with a fight again!” 

As they argued, they didn’t realize that the gunfire was slowly declining until only two or three soldiers remained. There was a bit of scuffling and some shouts from the men, but all was quiet two minutes later. 

“What the hell’s goin’ on out there?” Raph questioned and he peeked up over the top of the vehicle that he was crouching behind. The girl followed suit and they both saw no signs of militants anymore. “Hey! Who’s out there?!” 

“I saw movement!” the girl said and she leapt over the hood of the vehicle and charged towards whatever inhabited the room with them. She tackled whoever was on the other side of the jeep wrangler in the corner and found herself face-to-face with another mutant.

“Woah, easy girl!” Michelangelo said, keeping her knives at bay by blocking them with his chucks. She was seated on his torso, pressing down against his strength, but it was only a few seconds before another person tackled her down and knocked her weapons out of her hands. 

Raph knew what was going on once he saw Leo come out of his hiding spot and leap at her. He flew to the scene and witnessed his older brother pin the girl to the floor and hold a weapon to her neck. “Leo, relax! She didn’t know Mikey was there!”

“Who is this mutant?” Leo asked, not removing the blade from her throat.

“Actually, I don’t know her name,” Raph said. He scratched his head. “I found her in another storage room. She was a militant under Stockman, but they tried to kill her and now she’s runnin’ for her life. I told her I’d help her escape if she helped me find Luke and the others.”

“You lost Luke?!” Leo cried.

“He was abducted while I was defending him from soldiers outside. This girl said she heard a kid screamin’ a few hours ago. That’s gotta be Luke.” 

Leo shook his head in disbelief. Bethany was going to have a breakdown if she found out Luke was taken again. He also believed Raph when he said this woman was going to help them, but he didn’t trust her. Still, he let go of her arm and withdrew his knee form her back. “Fine, but she better be telling the truth.” After letting her up, he studied her form for a moment. She looked suspiciously like…

“Dude, look at the rattle on her tail!” Mikey said and he crouched to the floor for a closer look. “Stockman match you with a snake?”

“That’s my guess,” she replied, growing a bit uncomfortable with the orange turtle’s close observation. “I feel like I’m under a microscope…” 

“Relax. My brother can be a bonehead at times,” Raph said. 

“What’s your name, girl?” Leo asked sternly.

She regained some composure and scooted away from Michelangelo before stating her name to everyone. “Sophia. You laugh at my name and I’ll fuckin’ kill ya.”


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Conversations and Sophia...

“That should do it,” Don said as he finished mixing the protein and vitamin powders together inside of a latex glove. He added a little extra water to thin it out. “Hopefully, he’ll take to it.” He then handed off the bag to Kerrigan, who proceeded to poking a tiny hole in on of the fingertips with her teeth. The glove started to drip and she cradled the infant in one arm, ready to try and feed him. 

“Here goes,” she said and put the tip of the glove near the fussy baby’s mouth. The little guy instinctively opened as the glove tickled his lip, but he struggled to get a grasp. “Come on, little guy. You can do it,” Kerrigan said and she watched as the baby finally managed to get the glove in his mouth. At first he didn’t seem to know what to do with it, but once the supplement hit his tongue, he started sucking vigorously. “Oh, thank god…” 

Don smiled, grateful that his improvised concoction worked. It would do the job just fine until they get their hands on formula. He gathered up all of his supplies and stuffed them back into the bag. He decided it was best to barricade the entrance for a while so the women could rest and the baby could eat. Daniel stationed himself by the door to take first watch. Everyone was exhausted, especially Donnie. He hadn’t slept in so long; almost thirty-two hours since he and Bethany were dragged from the cell and into the lab with the water tank test. The girls were lying in each other’s laps or pressed up against walls, nearly asleep save for Bethany. She watched as Don took his bag and headed over to a broom closet. He probably wanted some quiet time or a private place to recoup, but she really wanted his company and got up. She walked silently over to the broom closet and gently tapped on the door. 

The door wasn’t locked and slowly squeaked open, allowing her to peer inside. Donnie was seated in a corner, legs crossed and head back. He was still awake. Bethany closed the door and joined him on the floor. The poor guy was so out of it that he barely realized that he slumped over into Bethany’s lap. She brought her hands down to his head and shoulder and stroked him, gently massaging his neck. He hummed and groaned his approval. 

“I need that…” he muttered. 

“Can tell. I can feel the knots in your muscles,” she whispered and continued kneading his skin for several minutes. She only stopped when Don asked a simple question.

“So, what are you planning on doing when we escape and return home?” 

Bethany thought about it for a minute. “I’m not sure. Probably try to settle my mother’s estate and I need to figure out what to do for my son. I want him to stay with me, but he needs to be with his peers in school. My heart will break if I send him to live with his grandfather. I couldn’t take it…”

“Hm, perhaps we can figure out something for him. I can help you with that if you want. Plus, I know a way to deal with the estate business without having to meet people in person. We’ll get it done, but ah…I was wondering about what you’ll do for yourself when you finish settling your affairs.” 

“Well, I haven’t thought that far ahead yet. I suppose I’ll have to find another place to live where nobody can see me and work from home. I was also thinking about the others, Julie, Audrey, Daniel, Kerrigan, and the infant. They need a place to stay too. Perhaps we can find a lair similar to yours and crash there for a bit while we figure things out.” 

Don nodded, seeming a bit unsettled. He looked away and at the wall, counting the cracks littering the plaster. 

“What’s wrong?” she asked. She discontinued her stroking and rested her hands on his arm and head. Occasionally she would scratch the back of his neck gently. 

If he had hairs, they’d be standing up. Donnie really wanted her to keep this up and figured extending their conversation would grant that wish. But he had other, more important questions for her, now that they were in private. “Beth, I know I asked you this before. It was really from a medical point of view, but did Raph truly try not to hurt you during…eh..”

The question seemed innocent enough. It must really have bothered Don and she was fearful of what he might think if she answered wrong. “He didn’t raise a hand to me in that manner. Everything he did…well, he really tried to get me to enjoy it even when I was tied up. I don’t think he realized that my mind needed to be in the right place with my body. It’s complicated…but Raph isn’t as scary now as he was before and he really is making a strong effort to apologize. He gave me those trinkets and I accepted his request for friendship. It’ll be a long time before I can trust him though.” 

It was a good response and Donnie could deal with the whole situation. “He really is a good guy once you get to know him. Flare-ups and all. He’s hard-headed and stubborn, but really protective and emotional. He never was good at expressing his feelings.” 

Bethany smiled. “What about you? Are you good at expressing your emotions?”

“Actually, not really. It’s because of my interest in science and technology and the medical field. I learned to sweep my feelings under the carpet. Emotions get in the way of answers and truth. I do care for my family though and I’ve been known to show happiness of course. It’s really the concept of love outside of my immediate family that I’ve never been good at. When you and I were in the cell together and I was frozen cold, you offered me warmth and I must admit, I was really nervous and confused. I had no idea what emotion I was supposed to offer. Then you sorta, we kissed…”

“Did it bother you?” 

Don swallowed. “N-no, I was a little concerned that you m-might have redirected your emotions onto me. With everything that’s happened to you, I was afraid you might be confused so I didn’t want to get my hopes up and uh…yeah. But then the second time, I was pretty convinced you…meant it.”

She was amused and stunned at the same time. He was blushing a little and twiddling his fingers. To be honest, she wasn’t sure why she’d taken a liking to him, but it felt right with each passing day. She ran her fingers along his arm and linked their hands together, suddenly remembering how Raphael intertwined his fingers with hers weeks ago. It was a little difficult, but she managed and then placed a small kiss on his knuckle. “I’m not really sure myself, but the last few weeks I’ve been with you, I’ve been safe, even when i didn’t realize it. I shouldn’t have run off to Cassie. It’s my fault all of this is happening. I should have listened to you…I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it. We’ve been in worse situations and always come out on top. This time will be no different,” Don said with confidence. He brought his hand up and placed it on her cheek, to which she smiled and bent forward. Their lips met briefly in a tender kiss before Bethany changed her position and curled up on the floor with him.

“I hope Raph’s keeping my son safe,” she commented.

“I’m sure they’re both toasty-warm in the van still. They have plenty of food and water there and Luke has entertainment. They might get bored waiting on us though,” Don said, attempting to lighten the mood. 

It helped a little, but Bethany’s thoughts continued to drift to her mother. Oh how she missed her so. She drifted off to sleep only to dream about her childhood, making her tear up without realizing. There was a point where she woke up with massive chills and she huddled even closer to Donnie, who draped his arm over her and they shared their body heat for a while. It helped and the pair slept for a few hours together before a loud bang awakened them.

Don shot up when he heard the girls outside screaming. He told Bethany to stay put as he swung open the door and saw two soldiers in the room. One was ganging up on the girls with his rifle pointing at them while Daniel fought with the other. They were wrestling for the high powered rifle and Daniel was starting to gain the upper hand. Don quickly jumped into action and went for the soldier threatening the women, who quickly turned his weapon on the angry turtle and fired a few rounds. The bullets bounced off Don’s plastron, but one stray hit him in the thigh, passing through the flesh, but missing anything vital. Don yelped, but continued his charge and he sent a fist flying into the soldier’s gut. Then he ripped the rifle out of the soldier’s hands and smashed him in the face with the butt. With the soldier laid out, Don grimaced and limped his way over to Daniel, who was still fighting with the remaining militant. Help was not needed, as Daniel finished his opponent off by forcing the rifle to turn and point toward its owner. The weapon went off in the soldier’s chest and Daniel had the gun in hand. Blood splattered all over the wall and the man crumpled to the floor. 

Impressed, Don breathed a sigh of relief and hunkered down to the floor to inspect his leg, dropping the rifle aside. The wound didn’t appear deep. He rolled back his pant leg and put a bit of pressure on the injury. After the commotion ended, Bethany appeared from the closet, carrying his bag full of supplies and she saw Don on the floor, bleeding.

“Shit…” She rushed to his side and opened the bag. “Now’s a good time for that first aid lesson. Is it really bad?! Is anyone else hurt?!” 

Daniel assessed the situation. “Everyone’s all right. Get him treated. I’ll keep watch.” He studied his rifle for a second before posting himself at the door, peeking out everyone couple seconds for intruders. 

Don cringed as he moved his leg into a better position while Bethany prepared a clean cloth and antiseptic. She pressed the ointment against his leg and he shuddered and closed his eyes. 

“Sorry,” she said as she wiped away the blood and dirt. 

“I’ll hold it. Grab some gauze and a bandage,” Don said and he took the cloth from her, continuing the cleaning while she unraveled a ball of gauze and tore a piece. 

They dressed his wound as best they could with limited supplies and Bethany took Don’s arm and helped him to his feet. He limped slightly with every step, but overall he could walk, just at a slowed pace. 

“I guess jumping around is out of the question for a while. Anyways, after that fight, we need to move on. Someone’s bound to have heard the gunfire and will come running,” Don commented. 

____________________________________________________

 

“I’ll give you back your weapons when you lead us to Luke,” said a very serious Leonardo. 

Sophia just growled and pressed on. She was leading the three turtles towards the back of the compound where Stockman kept his darkest secrets. The turtle named Leonardo was right at her back, pushing her forward, a sword pressed into her shoulder blades. He didn’t trust her because of their history and Mikey didn’t seem to either. Raph, however, did not give off any indication that he did or did not trust her. For now, she kept her mouth shut and her hands where Leo could see them. In fact, he was holding her arm in such a way that it could break if she made the wrong move. “Not very chivalrous are ya?” she mocked.

“Chivalry is for ladies, not potential enemies,” Leo replied harshly. 

“Whatever, hun…I personally believe ya have a fetish for restrainin’ women!”

“Shut-up,” Leo snarled and tightened his grip on her. “I’m not afraid to hurt a woman when she’s a pain in the ass.” 

She cracked a smile. “I’ll bet ya like it rough, huh?! Put me in a room with ya for a couple hours, I’ll straighten ya out! A good fuck straightens out all men!” she screamed. 

Michelangelo’s eyes widened and Raphael nearly lost it in laughter. Once you piss off Leo, there’s no telling how he’ll react. Of course, the two brothers didn’t know exactly how Leo would react towards this woman since he was normally so level headed. 

Angered by her vulgarness, Leo stopped and forced her to turn around to face him. He didn’t care if his brothers were witnesses to what he was about to do. Keeping his sword in one hand, Leo grabbed her by the jaw with the other and pushed her up against a wall. “Let’s get one thing straight, girl. You don’t know me, I don’t know you, except that you worked for Stockman and you know where Luke is being kept. I’m keeping you alive to find that kid. Once we get that kid, we go our separate ways.” 

She angrily pointed at Raphael. “He promised to get me out of here!”

“You’re not making us want to help you! Cut the shit, do your job, and keep that filthy mouth shut!” Leo shouted in her face. 

For some reason, the scene made Raph almost proud. As Leo got older, his mentality slowly changed and he would take less and less crap from anyone, particularly those who had personalities rivaling his own or those that were unstable. “Leo, we gotta move on…” Raph said. 

“Just a sec…” Leo said and he continued in a threatening tone with Sophia. “Mikey’s right. You’re a bitchy snake…”

Sophia’s eyes never left Leo’s. “I have a sharp tongue, wanna experience it?” She then let her tongue slide out of her mouth. It was forked and slim, exactly like a snake and long enough to reach Leo’s nose. She tickled his beak for a split second before sliding it back between her lips. 

She clearly wasn’t getting it and Leo’s anger arose again. He leaned in, bringing his mouth close to her ear and whispered, “I don’t like your attitude. I don’t like your motives. And I especially don’t like how you’re speaking to me. I’m trying to keep civil about all this and not let my temper flare.”

“Doin’ a shitty job…” she muttered back. She felt his fingers tighten around her neck and she smiled. “I think you’re enjoyin’ this a little too much. As a matter of fact, I might be as well…” she smirked. “If you and I were pitted against one another, I’d destroy you…” 

Keeping his tone even and hushed, Leo responded back with, “Fine. You wanna find out how much of a gentleman I can be? You got it. After this is over, you and me. A battle, one-on-one. We’ll see who comes out on top.” 

“You got it. I ain’t manhandled anyone in a long time,” she grumbled back. 

“You can’t handle me,” Leo said and he let her throat go, but kept the sword up. No longer whispering, he urged her forward, “Move…” 

“Well, that was crazy intense,” Mikey commented as the group moved forward. 

Not another word was uttered as they traveled along the corridor. Leo kept a close eye on Sophia. She led them to a large door labeled, “Restricted”and Leo shoved her into Michelangelo’s arms to keep her under control in case she led them into a trap. Leo then removed one of Raph’s sais from Mikey’s belt and started to pick the lock on the door. It was a massive pain in the ass and he struggled with it. 

Raph started to grow impatient and eventually barged into Leo, took the sai out of his brother’s grasp and started picking away at the lock. He had it open within seconds. As good as it was to hold his own weapon again, he remembered that he was still under punishment and he willingly flipped his weapon and held it out to Leo, handle-first. 

Leo took it without question, but refrained from saying anything. He knew Raph would keep true to his promise and earn back those sais. Once they had the door unlocked, Leo gently pushed on the door and peeked inside. The room was free of people and Leo entered slowly. There was machinery and computers everywhere, but no scientists in sight. 

“Donnie would kill to have a lab like this,” Mikey said as he followed his brother inside, Sophia struggling against his grip. Her tail was flailing around enough to cause Raph to grab the annoying appendage and threaten to tie it up if she kept at it. 

“Where would Stockman keep a child in here?” Leo asked, eyeing Sophia. 

“I don’t know. I was never allowed in past the door. I was a guard outside a few times,” she said. 

“Raph, you and I will search the room for Luke. Mikey, you got her?” 

“Got her, bro! We’ll hang back here.” 

Leo nodded, “Good. If she attempts to escape, just break one of her legs.”

“Harsh…”

“A necessary harsh,” Raph said and he joined Leo in searching the large space. It was so big, he feared it could take hours to open every door and turn everything upside down. 

While his brothers searched, Michelangelo stayed put with Sophia and just by sheer curiosity, he couldn’t help but ask, “So, why did you decide to work for Stockman?”

“Sweetheart, I was in it for the cash,” she said. 

“Seems more like you’re in for the thrills.” 

“That came with the job, yeah. I ran circles around the pussies keeping this compound functioning. I did the dirty work…”

Mikey closed his eyes, “So vulgar, lady…” 

“Whaddya expect? I have a tough exterior. I been around sick and twisted, perverted men for most my time in Stockman’s employ and you tend to pick up a few things here and there.”

“I don’t believe a word of that. Something had to happen to you to make you this hardened. How did you get involved with Stockman?” Mikey pressed. “Don’t give me another bullshit story.”

“Heh, I must be losin’ my touch. You saw right through me, huh?” she said, laden with sarcasm. “All right then, here’s the deal. I’m ten years old, livin' with my mother and her new boyfriend. So one night, my mom goes off to work, leavin’ the boyfriend home with me as my sitter. I was playing in my room when he came up and wrestled me to the floor. Do ya know how scary it is for a child to be fightin’ against a man twice her size? There was nothin’ I could do but take it as he ripped my clothes off, cryin’ and begging for him to stop! When it was over, he dressed me and made me swear not to tell otherwise he’d hurt my mother! I lived with this secret till I was sixteen and after that, I couldn’t take it anymore! I told my mother and she turned her back on me. Called me a liar! I was so hurt and angry that I ran away and lived on the streets for a year, stealing food, breaking into homes to get clothes, and almost got dragged into drugs. Before I took my first shot of heroin, Stockman found me and offered me a hefty paycheck to be a test subject for some experiment. He took blood from me, end of story there. But he must have liked my street skills or somethin’ because he offered me a position in the ranks. I agreed and they put me in the trainin’ program the following day. I had to deal with more scumbags pushin’ me and makin’ fucking catcalls and advances. Then one day, I stopped bein’ a pushover. When a group of men tried to gang-rape me, I bit down on one jackass’s dick and pulled his gun from his belt. I shot two of them dead and the others cowered at my feet. After that, I finished my training at the top of my class. Firearms and hand-to-hand combat. My peers were terrified of me…I swore to never let another man lay his hands on me again.” 

“That’s really sad.”

“Don’t get sappy on me. I don’t need your pity.” 

Mikey sighed, “Then I won’t give it. But what I can give you is this.” He let go of her arms and she was able to turn around and look him in the eye. They’re eyes connected for a moment and he could tell she was being truthful, even through that tough shell of hers. 

She swallowed hard. It was the first time she didn’t have to fight to break a man’s grip on her; very unfamiliar territory. “I see you have a conscience, unlike your brother over there.”

“Leo does have a conscience. He’s just protective and cautious, girl. He’s had a lot on his mind and stress.” 

“I see that. Nearly ripping one my arms off, he must be pissed.”

“I don’t know what Leo said to you out in the hallway there, but lady, don’t step on his toes. I’ve seen what he can do when pushed. He’s level-headed most of the time, but the other percent of the time, he’s got a streak like my other brother, Raph. Though, he’ll never admit it. I’m beginning to think meditation isn’t working for him anymore.” 

“Sounds like he needs somethin’ stronger. How old are you guys?”

“Leo’s 35, Don is too, but a few months younger. Raph’s 34 and I’m the baby at 34 too.” 

“Huh, all of ya are younger than me.”

“Serious? You don’t look it,” Mikey complimented.

“Flattery gets ya nowhere, but yeah…just turned 37,” she said. 

Before Michelangelo could say anything else, Leo and Raph returned…empty-handed. And Leo looked pissed.

“No soldiers have attacked us and there’s no sign of life in this wing,” Leo said. He crossed his arms and awaited her response. 

“I said I knew where they kept their special projects and where I heard the kid’s scream! I never said I knew if he would actually be here! They probably moved him to-

“Oh you’re very correct in where we keep our special projects, Sophia…” said a very angry yet intellectual voice. 

Sophia cut short her conversation with the turtles the instant she heard her old boss speak. Then her adrenaline started to rush and she felt her tail start to react accordingly. The beads started to vibrate and a rattling sound resonated in the space. The entire appendage curled up, coming in close to her body as if to protect her. Her anger bubbled up, ready to burst at the sight of Stockman. 

All three turtles took their stance, prepared to fight if the need arose. 

“Still patient as ever I see,” Stockman said. He laughed at Sophia and then congratulated her for being a successful test subject. “My dear, please come. You’ve managed to outwit my soldiers and stayed alive. You’re more of a success than the others and I want to keep you as my-

“Fuck you! Ya tried to have me killed! I refuse to continue workin’ under your radar!” Sophia screamed. 

“Is that any way to speak to your boss? The man who looked after you when my father disappeared? I’m ashamed of your actions and I tire of your vulgarity.” He then snapped his fingers and the doors behind him opened to allow a flood of soldiers inside. “Since you are accompanied by my specimens, I’ll even the odds and I’d like to entertain you with a little surprise. Bring him in!” he demanded. 

The turtles watched in horror as two more soldiers dragged a small child into the room. It was Luke and he was bound and gagged, crying and looking at the turtles for help. 

“Let him go!” Leo shouted and pointed his sword towards Stockman. 

“Tell me where my other test subjects are and I’ll let you have the child,” Stockman replied.

“I call bullshit on that, you liar!” Raph growled and he squeezed the knife in his hand, ready to pounce. 

“Careful cretin! My hand might slip,” Stockman said and he withdrew a long needle with a blue-green tinted liquid in the cylinder. 

“You stick that kid with that shit, I’m gonna personally kill ya!” Raph shouted.

“Where are the other test subjects?! I won’t ask again!” Stockman threatened and he grabbed Luke by the shirt, yanking the child close and putting the tip of the needle against his neck. “What’s your next move, freaks?”


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Making the trade...

Under Wraps Part 16

 

Don kept an arm draped over Daniel as he limped forward, the girls and infant in tow. His leg was throbbing and getting worse as the group pressed on. He grimaced when his foot lay flat on the cement. Bethany was close behind and worried that his thigh would get an infection. The antiseptic wasn’t enough and they lacked any other supplies. Slowly they reached the end of the corridor and Donnie had to sit. He unwrapped the gauze and took a look at his injury. “Shit…”

Daniel and Bethany saw the wound had started to fester in a few places, likely due to particles and dirt in the air. “We need to find something stronger. Maybe heading back to the surplus storage?”

“No…we gotta keep moving. Every second we spend in the halls, the more likely we get caught. If we turn around now, its a guaranteed failure,” Don said. 

“What do we do then?” Bethany asked. She placed her hand on his forearm, worried. Don was getting a little clammy and his skin looked a bit paler than usual.

“I’m going to suffer it out. I have medicines back home that can get rid of infection. We have to keep moving.”

“You need to rest.”

“We can’t afford to.” Don then pulled himself up, using the wall for support and this time Daniel assisted. With Daniel using his body as crutch, the group moved forward, slowly, until Don just couldn’t walk any further much longer. His leg was in too much pain and he was starting to bleed through the bandages. 

“Okay, we need to stop,” Bethany said and she made Daniel take Don to find the nearest room, with the turtle protesting part of the way. “Stop complaining,” she sternly told Donnie. “You’re injured and we need to elevate that leg.”

They reached the end of the corridor and started to hear raised voices, one belonging to a very irate human. 

“That sounds like S-Stockman,” Don muttered.

“It is,” Julie said and she started to tremble. This was the man who tortured and mutated her. “I don’t wanna go in there!”

“You’re not going to,” Don said. He let go of Daniel and started staggering along the wall. “Stockman is upset about something and I’m suspecting my brothers are up there.” It was only a moment before Don heard his brother Raph shout obscenities. 

“Wait, Don! You can’t go into battle like that!” Daniel said and he caught up with the stubborn leader. 

Don quickly turned, stopping Daniel in his tracks. “I need you to look after the girls. Can you do that, soldier? You’re good at following orders. I know you are.”

“I do follow orders, but I also never leave an injured partner to face off with the enemy alone. This order is one I’m going to disobey.” Daniel had a rifle in his hands and he held it up, posturing, to give himself a confidence boost. “It’s been a long time since I’ve fought and I’ll be damned to let someone else fight and risk their life for me when I’m capable myself.” 

“Stubborn as hell too. All right, stay low and follow me. Girls, find another room, lock the door if you can, barricade it, and stay put until we come back for you,” Don said. As quietly and as best he could, he and Daniel began moving towards the shouts.

Bethany watched as Don and Daniel turned around a corner and disappeared and she felt helpless and frustrated. At one point she swore she heard the scream of a child, maybe even her son. Her first instinct was to run towards the cries…but what would happen to the others?

Don would get upset with her again…

Following her instructions, she ushered the girls to the nearest room. It was a cell that locked from the outside and while they filed in, Bethany looked down the hall leading towards the voices and she made a quick decision. After the last of the girls was in the room, Bethany quickly slammed the door shut and she locked it so the girls couldn’t get out. It was for their safety and nobody else knew they were in there. They started to shout for Bethany in panic, but she ignored the calls and quickly told them she’d be fine. Then she took off in the direction of Don and Daniel.

Closing in on the open lab, Don took a position by the entrance. He clearly heard Stockman making threats and Leonardo trying to negotiate. There wasn’t a lot of visibility, but he could see Stockman just on the other side of the entryway and the mention of Luke’s name caused his anxiety to rise. Bethany’s son was in danger! Adjusting his position slightly gave Don a better view of Luke’s position and it wasn’t a good one, being directly in front of Stockman.

Daniel raised his gun, propping it up and ready to aim. Before he had an attempt to fire, Don stopped him.

“Don’t. Luke is right in front of Stockman. I don’t want him hurt,” Don whispered.

“Luke?”

“Bethany’s son.”

Daniel nodded. “What do you suggest?”

“A silent strike.”

“Gotcha.” Daniel lowered his gun, but turned it around so the butt was upright and he waited for Don to make the first move.

From inside the lab, Raph was slowly losing his patience and he felt a need to mutilate Stockman. “Dammit Stockman! Ya hurt that kid and I’ll fucking put a hole in your head!”

Stockman grew angry and instead of pushing the needle into the child’s neck, he put the injection into his pocket and withdrew a gun. “Keep it up and I’ll put a bullet through this boy’s brain instead! It’ll be a messy end…” He pressed the barrel of the revolver to Luke’s temple.

“Raph! Calm down!” Leo demanded. He didn’t want anyone taunting the mad scientist and risking poor Luke. “We can compromise. Stockman, we don’t know where the others are. There’s got to be a deal we can make with you now. The kid’s not a test subject. Take me instead!”

“But I’ve already got you!” Stockman laughed and he snapped his fingers. A flood of soldiers came pouring into the lab, guns raised and ready to fire. “You’ll have to offer something of greater value to release the child!” His attention then fell on Sophia.

Leo caught on and he turned to look at Sophia. This lady was a massive annoyance and she couldn’t possibly be trusted. He actually started to contemplate the exchange if it meant keeping Luke safe. Her tail was rattling, expressing anger but her face said something completely different. Fear. He’d heard Michelangelo talking with her earlier and her story about serious childhood abuse and suddenly Leo pitied her. Her vulgar tongue and rough exterior was a front for a tragic history. “How is she more valuable than the original container for mutagen,” Leo said, referring to himself and his brothers.

“She is the product of several mutations and three different reptile species, excluding her human characteristics. The most advanced out of all of you. I can’t lose her knowing how well she’s developed and survived. Hand her over and I’ll release the kid.”

Leo knew it was a trap, but what choice did he have. It was more important that Luke was returned. However, before Leo could say anything, he saw that Sophia had already started removing her weapons and dropping them on the floor. Then she ascended the steps, heading for the platform. Once she was a few feet away from Stockman, he signaled for his men to take her arms and cuff them with heavy bracers. Her tail was coiled and secured with heavy metal mesh.

“I knew you’d turn yourself over, dear. You’ve always had a soft spot for children,” Stockman said.

“Twisted fucking psycho!” Sophia cursed as she was pushed forward by two soldiers and towards the second floor. There was an additional testing lab upstairs.

After Sophia and the soldiers disappeared, Leo made his demands known again. “You have what you want, now let Luke go!”

“Not so fast…” Stockman said and he kept his grip on the crying child.

Raphael growled and Mikey’s shoulders slumped with dread.

“You still haven’t revealed the location of the other specimens,” Stockman said.

“That’s bullshit! You said you’d let Luke go if you got Sophia!” Mikey cried. He didn’t like that the revolver was still pointed at the poor boy’s head.

“I always get what I want by any means necessary.”

“We don’t know where the others are!” Leo yelled.

“Wrong answer,” Stockman growled and he pulled back the hammer of the gun, preparing to fire.

Just before Stockman placed his finger on the trigger, something hard struck him in the back of the head and he fell forward. Luke tumbled along with him, but he rolled away and saw that the gun slipped from Stockman’s grasp. Now was his chance to escape.

Leo, Raph, and Mikey were stunned briefly when the scientist fell, but their hope for escape returned when Donatello appeared alongside another mutant; the one who bashed Stockman.

“Hey bro!” Mikey exclaimed.

“Donnie, where’s Bethany?” Leo asked.

Before Don had a chance to answer, a group of soldiers started firing their weapons at them all. Leo, Mike, and Raph immediately began attacking full force while Daniel went for Luke. Stockman had barely recovered and reached for his gun. He stayed low to the ground while his men kept up their attack and found his way to a ladder and climbed like a coward out of harm’s way.

Luke was terrified and scrambled to his feet, hands still bound and mouth gagged, not really realizing that it was still unsafe. He was quickly pushed to the ground by the strange mutant with the rifle.

“Stay down, kid!” Daniel shouted and he held Luke tightly against his torso and kept his rifle pointed towards the enemy, returning fire. He managed to take out two of the soldiers, but it was difficult to aim with the turtles fighting and stepping in front of his crosshairs.

Leo finished bashing the skull of a militant in order to reach Donnie on the platform. His brother had a heavy limp in his step. “Don, what happened?” Leo asked as he guided Don back into the exit to avoid gunfire.

“I was shot,” Don replied, voice straining with pain. He was grasping onto his thigh, staining his hands further with blood.

“We gotta put another bandage over that,” Leo said, noticing the bag draped on Don’s side. “You have extra supplies?”

“Don’t worry about it. You gotta get Luke out of there!”

“Your friend back there’s working on that. Who is that other mutant?” Leo asked, pulling a new strip of gauze from the bag.

“He’s a sergeant named Daniel. You can trust him.” Don grimaced as Leo pressed the cloth to his leg and started tightly wrapping it with another bandage.

Several bullets passed through the doorway and the pair had to roll to the side to avoid it.

“We need to get Luke!” Don said.

“You’re staying put! I’ll get him…” Leo said, satisfied with the quick fix on Don’s leg and he withdrew Don’s staff from his belt. “Your weapon. I’ll be right back. Don’t move…” Leo said sternly.

Happy to have his weapon once again, Don nodded and took to looking after his leg to stop the blood flow.

Leo peered in the doorway away and spotted Luke and Daniel lying on the floor still, shielded by part of the guardrail on the platform. Daniel had cut Luke’s bonds and he was looking for an opportunity to get them both to safety. Swiftly, Leo rolled out onto the platform and behind the guardrail. “Stay low and in front of me!”

Daniel nodded and he grasped Luke around the waist. He crouched in front of the turtle and the three of them sidestepped towards the exit, keeping Leo’s carapace towards the gunfire and Luke between them. They were very close to the door, however their quick exit would not be as easy as planned. Soldiers stormed the platform and charged at the trio. Leo pushed Luke aside and stood his ground, ready to defend. Daniel had very little choice but to do the same because soldiers were attacking from both sides.

Seeing his brother surrounded on the level above, a fighting Raphael quickly finished off his opponent and rushed for the staircase. He stabbed an attacking soldier in the throat and descended on the next group of militants, eager to help his leader. “Mikey! Need a hand!” Raph called to his battling little brother.

“Be right there!” Mikey cried as he fought off the last of his enemies. His arms were bleeding from enemy blades and a bullet skimmed his shoulder, but overall he was okay. He took to running up the opposing staircase, flanking the remaining soldiers.

There were only three militants left and would be a breeze to take care of once their guns were taken away. Two of them began firing at Raph, but his plastron easily deflected the bullets. They kept it up until the clips of their guns were empty and the opportunity arose for disarming. Raph nailed the nearest soldier in the head, fracturing the guy’s skull as he crashed against the wall. The second soldier attempted to take a shot at Leo, but missed out of panic and he ended up taking a strike to the shin from the same blue-clad turtle. Once the man was on his knees, Raph ripped the rifle out of his hands and hit him over the head with it, laughing as he did so.

Michelangelo stood behind the last soldier, this one a girl. She bravely held her weapon, aiming for the most threatening of all the turtles, Raphael.

“Go ahead,” Raph taunted her.

She didn’t back down and even pressed her finger to the trigger, but the turtle in blue suddenly addressed her.

“You won’t last the two seconds required to pull that trigger,” Leo threatened and he pointed his sword at her.

For a moment she contemplated it, but didn’t remove her finger. This would likely be her final mission and so she kept her aim. The turtle was right though and her gun was kicked out of her hands before she could get a round off. She ripped a hunting knife out of her belt and prepared to attack, but her wrist was suddenly crushed within the grasp of the turtle behind her.

Michelangelo dragged the girl away from Leonardo and he squashed her hand enough to make her drop the knife. “Didn’t your mother ever tell you not to play with knives?” he mused and took her arms tightly behind her back. He pushed her forward until she was only a few feet from the scarier looking turtles.

Leo brought one of his swords up, placing the blade against the woman’s neck. He looked to the ladder and above to see if Stockman was still present, but the chicken-shit had vacated the lab. “Raph, go up and get Sophia back while Mikey and I interrogate this one. She might know a shortcut to the outside. Daniel and Luke, go outside into the hall. Donnie’s out there waiting.”

“Gotcha,” Raph replied and he bypassed the second floor stairs by leaping to the remaining platform above, leaving Mikey and Leo with the woman and Daniel leading Luke out the exit.

Not removing his sword from her neck, Leo started to question the soldier. “You know the fastest way out of here, don’t you?” Defiantly, she refused to answer, causing Leo to press his sword a little harder against her throat. “Don’t make me kill you.”

“Easy bro…” Mikey said, still holding on tight. He noticed that Leo’s methods were getting more and more brutal as the years went by, but he also knew Leo had periods of intense anger. The situation was so stressful, even the strongest of mind could crack. He even felt himself slowly losing it…

Leo ignored his brother, keeping the blade level with her jugular. “You will lead us out of this hellhole if I have to bust every bone in your body.”

The woman just smiled and a moment later, she spat in Leo’s face, pissing him off further.

He didn’t use his full strength, but smacked her across the face with his palm. Funny enough, it didn’t seem to faze her and she just kept smiling. Her cheek had reddened from the strike, but no bleeding. In retaliation, she swung her feet up and kicked out at him, missing.

“You wanna play rough? Fine. Mikey, hand her over,” Leo demanded.

Michelangelo pushed the woman into Leo’s arms where he tightly gripped her primary shooting arm and forced her up against a wall. Like he did with Cassie a while back, he did to this woman and twisted the limb into her back. “It’s very rare that I take it this far. Most women crack before I put them in this hold.” There wasn’t a single cry or plea escaping her lips and Leo was confused.

“She’s tougher than other ladies,” Mikey commented.

“She’ll crack eventually. They all do,” Leo growled and he put forth enough pressure to fracture the limb. To his surprise, not a single scream or groan. She just stood there, acting as though he were invisible. “What the…”

“Shit, by now, I’d be screaming,” Mike said, impressed by her resilience.

Angered by her stubbornness, Leo completely broke her arm and took the other, putting just as much pressure on it. Just as he was about to disable it, Don stopped him.

Having heard the conversation from the hall, Don figured it out and he painfully climbed to his feet and used his staff as a crutch to walk into the lab. “Leo, stop…don’t bother. It won’t get us any closer to escaping.”

Leo avoided breaking the soldier’s other arm, but did not let go of her. “What do you mean?”

Don approached and he grabbed the woman by the shoulder and turned her to face him. Not a single sign of pain etched across her features. “Hold up her broken arm.”

Leo did as he was asked and Don started by tapping the protruding bone in her forearm with the back of his fingers. When she didn’t respond to it, Don was certain…

“Knew it,” Don mumbled.

“What? What is it?” Mikey asked.

“This woman has a very rare and natural mutation. Congenital insensitivity to pain; a very beneficial, yet deadly disorder.”

“English, bro…” Mikey whined.

“It means she can’t feel pain. We can beat the shit out of her and she’d take every hit as if we were tickling her. It’s very beneficial to Stockman; having a soldier that can keep fighting no matter how much damage she takes. However, she’s not immune to bleeding internally or externally. This broken arm is still serious and she knows it…” Don explained, examining the injury. “We can’t force her by hurting her, but we can deny her medical treatment.”

“I’m not saying a word. I’d rather die than help you escape. Do your worst, I’ll only laugh in your face!” she yelled.

“Knock her out, she’s no good to us,” Don said and he dropped the damaged limb, letting it fall against her side.

Leo quickly gripped her around the shoulders and pushed hard on the pressure point in her neck. It took a little longer for the receptors in her neck to register, but after about thirty seconds she slowly succumbed and Leo laid her on the floor. “If Raph manages to get Sophia, we’ll use her to guide us. Let’s get upstairs and help Raph then we’ll get the others.”

Don relaxed against a wall. “You go. I can’t run but I’m gonna head back for the others now.”

Leo nodded. “Take Mikey with you then. Be careful.”

 

Raph could hear the shouting and vulgar mouth of Sophia from a mile away. However, she sounded distressed more than anything and he kept up his fast pace, not exactly sure which room she was in. He hoped she would keep screeching so he could find her quicker.

The soldiers had taken her to the top floor after dragging her up staircase after staircase and put her into a room containing only a cold metal table and thick leather straps. It was meant as an interrogation tool. She was forced onto the steel and limbs all tied, her hands tightly while her legs were bound, but loose. The two men then laughed and tormented her.

The taller, blonde soldier took out a knife and approached Sophia. He drove the blade under her belt and yanked upwards, splitting the canvas.

“Fuck, get off me you goddamn pigs!” she screamed.

She received a heavy slap across her face from the black haired soldier. “Shut the fuck up,” he said and watched as his comrade continued cutting up along her tattered shirt. “You know, Sophia, I’ve been wondering what you had underneath all those fatigues through the years. Now I get to find out. It’s a shame you’re not human anymore, but I’m all for trying anything at least once! I am growing tired of weak human women anyways. The prisoners we’ve taken just don’t cut it anymore!”

She struggled and kicked, trying to get the restraints off, but it was no good. “All you men are nothing more than scumbags for raping women and children!” It was only now that she began having mental images of her time as a teenager and her stepfather’s crime against her. For the first time in nearly two decades, she was afraid…

The blonde soldier finished with her top and ripped away the material, letting her breasts spill out. “Still looks somewhat human,” he said and groped one of her mounds. “Still feels like it too.”

The dark haired one agreed. “Let’s see if her bottom half is in tact.” He began undoing his trousers. “I’m aching for some pussy!”

“Heh! Yeah!”

The two men began tearing away at her pants until she was nude. With her tail still enclosed in steel mesh and her arms secured, there wasn’t much she could do other than try to kick them again. They laughed at her feeble attempts and one of the men hopped up on the table to draw back her legs while the black-haired one planted himself between her feet, pants undone and around his thighs. He grasped onto her rear and lifted her slightly so he could drape her over his lap as he climbed onto the table. His erection was hard and ready and he spit onto his length to give himself some moisture before he took the plunge.

Seconds before he had the chance to force his way in, both men heard the door crash open and a tall figure stood in the light, knife drawn and breathing heavily.

Raphael bear witness to a scene that he hoped he’d never have to experience again. A woman tied down and forced to endure sexual perversion at its worst. He suddenly remembered how frightened Bethany looked that night and now he saw the same expression on Sophia’s face, which was surprising as she was hardened from years of training. Leo was right…

“Women are very sensitive and it only takes one incident to fuck them up for life!”

His older brother’s words resonated in his mind and like Leo and Mikey, Raph heard Sophia’s story about her childhood. Her stepfather was a bastard and mother just as bad for not listening to a cry for help. Raph’s anger seethed and now he knows exactly how his brother’s felt when he revealed to them what he’d done. He wanted to kill these two men and so he charged forward.

The men didn’t even stand a chance against his raging persona. Raph took out the blonde man sitting on top of Sophia by slamming him hard with a fist, sending the guy flying. Every bone in his face must have been broken because he was no longer recognizable. The other soldier would not be so lucky. Raph grabbed him by the throat and held him high in the air.

“You don’t deserve to live…” Raph growled and he held his knife tightly, raising it level with the guy’s groin, ready to strike where it would do some serious mental and physical damage.

The soldier struggled and begged for Raph to spare him, but it was almost impossible for the pleas to reach the turtle at this point.

“Please, don’t kill me man! Don’t!” the soldier pleaded and tried wrenching Raph’s fingers from his throat. “Please! I don’t wanna die and I wasn’t gonna kill her, I promise!”

“Die…” Raph muttered and started to bring the knife forward.

“Raph! Stop yourself! You’re better than that!” cried a very vehement and familiar voice.

Raph’s eyes fell on the doorway and he spotted Leo standing there, looking anxious. He had his hand up, gesturing for Raph to calm down.

“He deserves to die, Leo!”

“I agree, Raph. He does. But not like this, when he’s unarmed and begging. It’d be a dishonorable kill to take out someone as weak as he.”

Raph grit his teeth, but did not lower the knife. He listened and contemplated, staring the soldier in the eye. This man was a coward.

Leo continued, “Let him live with his shame…”

It was enough to get Raph to lower his weapon, but it did not stop him from beating the soldier’s face in like his comrade and throw him to the floor. Afterwards, he dropped to his knees. “I’m no different…”

“What?” Leo quickly said and he jogged over to his brother.

“I’m no better than them, Leo. What I did…” He dropped his knife and brought his hands to his head, trying to block out old memories. “Leo, I hurt her!”

Leo sighed and closed his eyes. “But you are. Even with that black mark on your conscience. It’s faded a great deal. You’re regaining that trust you lost and now you just saved a woman from a horrible fate worse than death.” Leo then looked over to the shocked Sophia. “C’mon, lets untie her.”


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trapped for the night..

Under Wraps Part 17

 

It was a chore, but Donatello managed to walk with assistance, grateful for once that he did not have his heavy pack. Leo still toted that monster around, wherever he was. Michelangelo and Daniel each had one of his arms and they were keeping him upright. Luke was terrified and stayed close to Mikey, frantically looking in every direction to make sure they weren’t being followed. 

The small group had slowed almost to a crawl when Don grimaced and groaned. “I gotta…s-stop…” 

“We can’t! There’s soldiers everywhere!” Mikey said and he urged his brother to keep moving. 

Don truly wanted to keep going, but he just grew more and more disoriented with every step. His brother kept shaking him and trying to hold him up, but there was no way. His head was spinning and he knew it was due to blood loss. Moments after, he felt himself slowly collapsing and a set of arms caught him. 

“Bro!” Mikey cried as Don fainted. 

Daniel helped as best he could. Don wasn’t walking anymore and now needed to be carried so Mikey took his brothers arms while Daniel grabbed his legs and they hoisted him along, Luke following close behind. They didn’t get far before they heard footsteps and saw a silhouette in the distance of the tunnel. The flickering lights didn’t help and Luke started crying. 

They leaned Don up against a wall and he slowly slid down to rest, still half conscious but not moving very much. Mikey drew his weapons and Daniel aimed his rifle into the shadows until the figure finally stepped out into the dim light. 

It was now that Luke stopped crying and excitingly rushed forward. “Mommy!” 

Bethany had found them and she dropped to her knees the moment her eyes fell on her son. He charged into her arms and she started bawling, glad her son was safe and unharmed. “Oh my god! My baby! Are you all right?”

Mikey put his chucks away and jogged to the embracing mother and son. “Hey, you okay?” 

“Yeah. Just…been through a lot,” she whispered and hugged Luke tightly, before pressing her cheek against his forehead. He felt extremely warm. “Geez you’re hot! Honey, are you feeling okay?”

Luke shook his head and only clung to her more.

“I wish the reunion was more cheerful, but we got injured,” Mike said, interrupting them. It wasn’t often that he sounded serious, but Bethany knew he pushed aside his playful nature for the time being. “Don’s hurt real bad.”

“I know. He was shot in the leg. I tried to make him take me along, but he refused.” Bethany picked up her son and she carried him back towards Mikey.

“I’m sure it was for good reason. You should be with the others. Where’s Audrey and Julie?”

“I locked them back a corridor. I almost got lost looking for Don and Daniel.” She then saw Donnie seated on the floor, eyes closed and she quickly dropped down, putting her son against the wall and putting her hand on the exhausted turtle’s shoulder. “Donnie…” 

“We gotta get him somewhere safe,” Daniel said.

“Don?” Bethany asked again.

Very weakly, Don lifted his head to look at her and he smiled a little bit. “Hey…”

“We gotta get you somewhere else, can you walk?” 

“He can’t. He’s hurting too much. C’mon, we have to move,” Mikey said and he took one of Donnie’s arms. 

Daniel slipped his rifle off his shoulder and handed it to Bethany, “It’s loaded and easy to use. Can you handle the gun until we get to the others?”

She looked a little nervous but agreed. Then Daniel picked up Don’s legs carefully and the group moved once again, Bethany leading the way back to the others. The door she locked to keep the others safe was undisturbed and she quickly pulled the latch and opened the door. They were greeted by all the girls and a baby whining for attention. Mikey and Daniel carried Donnie inside and placed him up against a wall. Bethany huddled close to him and looked over his leg. The bandages were soaked with blood and she was afraid to change the dressing in case the wound started to gush. He looked completely miserable. “You need a hospital so badly,” she whispered. 

“W-wouldn’t make..it…” Donnie murmured, lifting his head slightly so he could see her. 

She closed her eyes in frustration. “Don’t you do that. You’re gonna be fine.” She pressed her hand against his forehead. He was feverish and sweating. 

Mikey was pacing around, trying to figure out his next move. Without Leo here, he was somewhat lost. He wished they could simply take Don to a hospital but sadly, it wasn’t possible. The only thing they could do was get Don to a lab with access to medical equipment and pray that someone knew how to close a bullet hole. Every now and again, he peeked out the door to see if any enemies were coming. Unfortunately, an alarm had sounded, scaring the life out of the girls as it blared loudly. “Shit…”

“Everyone’s going to be looking for us now!” Audrey cried. 

“Stay calm, we’ll be all right,” Daniel said and he crouched down on the floor with his wife to check on her. The infant appeared content, comfortably sleeping in Kerrigan’s arms. She seemed to take a real liking to the baby.

Michelangelo took notice of the new additions. “So, Daniel was it?”

“Yeah and this is my wife Kerrigan.” 

“You have a cute kid,” Mikey said, trying to smile in such a horrid situation. Every few seconds he peered out the door, keeping an eye out for his brothers and any enemies. 

“He’s not ours. We ran across another mutant and she was still pregnant. Don managed to save the baby…”

“Oh…” Mikey managed. He wanted to know what happened while he and Leo were searching for their gear, but for now, it had to wait. Bigger matters took precedence. Plus Donnie was looking worse for wear and they desperately needed to treat him. He decided that they would have no other choice but to move forward without Leo and Raph and get Don to a medical lab. “Daniel, help me get Don to his feet. We gotta get him out of here and that leg cleaned up.”

______________________________________________________

Leonardo and Raphael were busy fighting their way through soldiers as Sophia kept her distance. She had no clothes to wear and her weapons were discarded by her former comrades. The most she could do was wrap her long tail around her waist to hide her lower body from prying eyes. However, it couldn’t reach her chest and she only had her arms as coverage. It was humiliating. She watched from a distance as Raphael took out another militant and yanked the rifle form his grasp. Then he approached her and held out the weapon. “Betta than nothin’ but don’t get any ideas with that gun…” he said harshly. 

She rolled her eyes and remained in the doorway, keeping watch. She would occasionally peer over at the turtles and wonder if they truly were as bad as Stockman let on. They were threatening in appearance sometimes and they had no problem with equal treatment towards female and male enemies. However, she was trained to be the same way. Were they truly any different now? The one in red was particularly menacing and to be honest, a good sparring partner. He was one of few that she actually enjoyed fighting against. Plus he was the one who stopped those two bastards from raping her…something she owed a thank you for. Later though…

With her gun raised and aiming for the furthest enemy, she fired a few rounds, striking two of her old comrades, not really caring if they died. They hunted her and continued to do so. She had a personal vendetta with Stockman now and no amount of talk or money would change her mind. 

After the final soldier fell, Leo quickly ripped away at a body, pulling the fatigues from him and carrying them over to Sophia. “Put these on,” he said and stuffed the garments in her arms. 

Without uttering a word, she dropped her weapon and quickly threw on the clothes, zipping up the heavy jacket and tying the pants tightly around her waist. She had to tear a large hole in the back to allow room for her tail to pass through. When she was dressed, she quickly ran through the room and found a soldier with smaller feet. The boots and socks would have to do until she was able to find a pair her size. She tore them off the soldier and put them on. Once she was ready, she reclaimed her gun and took any ammunition she could find from the dead. 

The alarm was still ringing and the trio were on their way back towards the corridors. Leo had hoped they’d meet up with Mikey and Don so they could escape together, but the brothers were nowhere to be found. They must have searched every room outside of the restricted lab, yet found nothing.

Leo was growing frustrated, at least until he heard footsteps heading in their direction and then he became cautious, awaiting to see who approached. Raph prepared for a fight and Sophia stayed close, keeping her gun at her side. There was only one set rushing towards them and so she figured it would be a simple little battle. Leo had his swords at the ready and saw the figure racing down the tunnel, the silhouette of a gun in its arms. Then the figure stopped several feet in front of them, drawing the gun, but not firing it.

“Leonardo? Is that you?” said the familiar voice of Daniel. 

It was enough to make Raph and Leo relax and take a step into the flickering light. Daniel quickly joined them.

“Where’s the others?” Leo asked, not replacing his swords in case they were ambushed. 

“They’re in a medical lab. They sent me out here to get you and lead you back. Donnie’s in poor shape and we need to help him immediately. C’mon, this way!” Then Daniel jogged in the other direction with the others in tow. 

They arrived at a lab where Michelangelo was guarding the door from the inside. Leo and Raph stepped inside, followed by Daniel and Sophia. Don was lying across a gurney, cringing and trying his damnedest to keep from shouting. A female medic in a white lab coat was working on his leg under gunpoint from Audrey and Kerrigan. Bethany was holding one of Donnie’s hands, whispering comforting words to him. Julie stayed off in the corner, holding the baby boy and feeding him to keep him silent. Luke was huddled next to Julie, sniffling and wrapped in several blankets.

“Don!” Raph cried and he attempted to charge forward, but Leo stopped him. 

“Don’t! Let that doctor work on him. We need to keep watch over the door and take over for the girls.” With his swords in hand, he padded across the room to watch the stranger work, not wanting to trust them, but there was no choice. Don usually did the medical jobs, but doing it on himself would be impossible in this much pain. Leo relieved Audrey and Kerrigan, having them join Julie on the floor to make sure she was safe. 

Raph paced around the room, keeping his eye out on everyone and grumbling to himself about allowing Donnie to get injured so severely. 

While the others were keeping their posts throughout the lab, Leo kept watch as the medic worked on Don’s bloody leg. He occasionally would look at Bethany, who kept an arm around Don’s shoulders and her hand tightly wrapped around one of his. It almost looked like they were a couple and he somewhat questioned their relationship. Then his eyes would drift to the wound on that leg. It wasn’t extremely large, but it bled enough to weaken his younger brother immensely. He kept his voice low when speaking to Bethany and she explained about taking the lab and removing all of the soldiers except the one medic. They planned to hold this person hostage until Donnie was out of the woods and unfortunately had to threaten their life to get her to work on him. It was the best option and now the medic had finished repairing any underlying damage on the muscle by stitching them together as best she could and then the wound had been closed on the back of his thigh. When the front of his leg was worked on, Donnie grimaced and groaned with every pass of the needle. There was no anesthesia strong enough to eradicate his pain and so he suffered until nightfall. 

When the medic had finished, Raph immediately took the woman and put her near a pipe connecting between the floor and ceiling. With medical tape and bandages, he and Leo busied themselves with tying her up and making sure she couldn’t escape. They attached her to the pipe and it was decided that they couldn’t escape tonight. Not with Donnie’s condition being at its worst. 

The alarm had stopped over an hour ago. Stockman likely sent soldiers outside into the woods to look for them, but when the mutants were nowhere to be found, he probably figured out they were still in the base. Posting lots of security at the exits was highly possible.

The group had all fallen asleep after snacking on some of the food Don took from the supply rooms. Luke had passed out in the corner, with Michelangelo sleeping next to him and Julie and Kerrigan kept the baby warm, all three out cold. Daniel sloppily lie across the floor at Kerrigan’s feet, already comatose in deep sleep. Audrey attempted to stay awake but she passed out in a chair, draped across a table and a gun slung across her lap. Raphael insisted he take the first watch, but was shot down by Leo, who now stood at the barricaded door, keeping an ear open to any strange sounds. So Raph took a seat on the floor where he could see everyone, especially Don, who had been moved to a much larger and clean bed. His leg was dressed in fresh bandages and he was resting peacefully with Bethany nearby. She was slouched over the edge of the bed, her hand still grasping Don’s, out cold. Sophia refused to sleep near anyone and she nestled herself on the other side of the room, keeping the medic within her sights, at least until she fell asleep as well.

The group all slept, including the captured medic. There was nothing she could do other than sleep herself. She did her job and was too exhausted to fight her way out or cry for help. They did promise to let her go eventually. 

Hours went by and Leo kept up his guard and every thirty minutes or so he would gently pace between his brothers and the girls, checking on them. Then he returned to his place at the door, listening carefully, but hearing nothing. 

Another hour had passed before Donatello woke up, feeling his leg ache and he shifted slightly since his bum had partially fallen asleep. The pain medicine administered to him after the procedure was only helping to take the edge off. Better than nothing he supposed. He looked to his right and saw Bethany sleeping. Her hair was sprawled across the mattress and part of her arm, which was still near his hand. He gently touched her fingers, feeling the scales that run along the knuckles. She was handling her new body well. The initial adjustment was hard for her, but time healed all wounds didn’t it? He wondered if her mental wounds would do the same and suddenly he felt sad. There was no time for her to grieve the loss of her mother. They’d been running and fighting all this time. It would only be appropriate that they have a memorial when they returned home.

The small movements of Donatello’s fingers stirred her awake and he immediately regretted touching her. She blinked a few times and looked up at him. 

“Sorry,” Don whispered, keeping his voice very low so not to wake the others. 

“No worries,” she whispered back and she stretched her arms a bit before asking, “How’re you feeling?”

“Hurting a lot still, but I’ll manage. That medic stopped the bleeding so now I can replenish. Afraid these dizzy spells will take a while to go away.” Don sighed and he lay his head back against his pillow again. He watched Bethany sit up and stretch. Her face scrunched up as though she was in pain. 

“Shouldn’t have fallen asleep sitting up,” she mumbled, trying to get her spine to crack as she maneuvered it in several directions. “I should probably lay on the floor.” 

Don shook his head. “No, no…come up here.” He then patted on the mattress and scooted himself a little, flinching as he moved, but kept his moans of pain internal. 

“You need that space for yourself,” she replied, hoping that the others were all still asleep and the whispering wouldn’t grab their attention.

“I’m a little chilly and I know you are too. I can feel your goosebumps.” Don ran his fingers across her forearm. He then lifted the sheet and patted the mattress again. 

She gave in, knowing her body was a bit cold. She worried about Luke a little, but knew he had several blankets wrapped around him and Mikey to help keep him warm. Carefully, she pulled herself into the bed and curled up next to Don, who proceeded to draping the sheet over their bodies. They faced one another and remained silent for a moment. There was only a very soft light over their heads from the emergency generator. It only gave them enough visual to see their features from a few inches apart, but anyone else who looked at them would see even less. Another moment passed and Don started whispering again…

“Thanks for helping me get through that procedure. I haven’t hurt that badly in a while. Stitching muscles back together is torture.”

“No problem,” she said and her gaze fell slightly. For some reason, she felt so nervous and unsure why. The stress of the situation was the likely culprit, but she didn’t want to bring up the issue right now. Since he just went through so much, she refused to bring up any other problem as well. Instead, she just bought her arm up and draped it across his body so she could be closer. Their warmth spread slowly underneath the sheet and they grew comfortable enough to embrace. She was much smaller than he was and so she eased herself up a little bit so she was face to face with him, noses almost touching. Her fingers traced along the edge of his shell and then made contact with his shoulder where her hand settled. She squeezed gently, making Don smile for the first time in days, but he knew something was bothering her and he questioned it.

“Why do you try to keep your emotions hidden even when we’re safe for the moment?” 

“I don’t know,” she admitted and her eyes dropped to his chest plate where she started tracing the pattern of his plastron with her fingernails. “I guess I am hurting pretty badly, but the stress…there’s too much going on. I have my son to worry about. And you…”

It was nice hearing her say that and he drew her even closer, his arms wrapping around her securely. Her chest pressed against his and her cheek barely came to his jaw, but they stayed that way for a minute. 

The Don whispered, “I promise we’ll have a memorial for your loved ones when we return to the lair and I’ll make sure everything is taken care of for your sake. We’ll figure out your obligations together and I’ll help you in any way that I can to make your adjustment easier.”

“No. I want you to heal,” she said softly. 

“I will heal. But you really need to-

“Stop worrying about me. Your leg needs rest.” 

“You need to rest too, with those wounds on your back.” He ran his hand gently down her spine, feeling the bandages through her gown.

She chuckled lightly. “We’re both really stubborn. Besides, my back is healing quicker than I thought. It aches, but I’m not in massive pain like the other day.” 

“You heal like me then. Mutagen’ll do that. That’s why the stuff is so valuable. I’d like to test you more when we get home and then…uh…” He drifted off in his words, seeing that she was trying to keep back her laughter and avoid waking everyone. 

“Always thinkin’ about science,” she said. “Don’t you ever get out of the lab and have fun?”

“Not often. Well maybe to play video games. Kinda juvenile I suppose, but I really enjoy a good online mmorpg. Other than that, I never really got out of the lair unless its to fight or scavenge the dump for parts.” 

“Never to interact?”

“Never really knew too many humans, except a small handful and they’re busy with their lives.”

“Then it looks like we’ll be out of commission for a few weeks while we heal, no going out or overworking ourselves. Visitors can come to us.”

Don smiled. “Sounds good.” 

The two of them cuddled again, her arms around his neck and his hands carefully placed at her waist. She was quite happy to be in his embrace. In the midst of all things, this is where she felt the safest. Sleep was nowhere near and so she figured she’d relax until it finally arrived. She listened to his steady breathing and felt his fingers occasionally stroke her lower back. To reciprocate, she gently massaged his neck, relishing in the feel of his cool skin. Surprisingly, his flesh was soft nearest to his jaw and throat and she couldn’t help but want to…

Don’s eyes opened wide when he felt her lips press against his collar and then slowly move upwards in a trail of fluttering kisses until she reached the sensitive skin by his ear. The she traced along his jawline and chin until her lips met with his. He couldn’t resist and it was only a bit of innocent kissing. He was certain that’s all this would be. But those tender lips of hers coaxed him into something a little more intense and he found his mouth parting to let her tongue slide inside. It curled around his, soft and wet. They had what Don dubbed an oral sword fight when he was a teenager. It was humorous then, but now it was pleasant and meaningful. His feelings were mixed up, trying to figure what direction they needed to go. Truthfully, he didn’t want this to end…

While the couple lay in the bed, allowing their romantic whims to temporarily take charge, they were completely unaware of two sets of eyes that spotted them, but did not interrupt. 

Leonardo was getting ready to end his shift and awaken Raph. He was going to head for his brother, but spotted Don and Bethany in the bed. Immediately he felt embarrassment when he saw the two of them lip-locked together and their arms trailing up and down each other. Not wanting to witness the scene any further, Leo turned around and quietly kept his watch until they’d fallen back asleep. Raph would get a little extra time in.

However, Leo had no idea that Raph awakened not too long before he planned to get him…

Raphael remained seated at the wall in total silence, watching as his second oldest brother was making a move on Bethany. She was receptive to all the advances. They had no clue he was watching, thankfully. For some odd reason, Raph felt a little bit of resentment towards Don and seeing the pair kiss so passionately worsened his feelings. Don was mending her heart…something Raph felt he was failing to do. Then again, he felt resentment, but not jealousy. He wanted Bethany to come out of her severe depression and find a sense of peace. Developing a relationship may help her forget. Raph wanted to beat his head against a wall for his weakness. His brothers were so much stronger than he was…mentally. Leo had his leadership skills and calm demeanor. Michelangelo had his cheerful and caring nature. Donatello had his intellect and work ethic. Would he ever have what his brothers had? A meaningful attribute? 

He couldn’t stand the thoughts passing through his mind and decided to quietly get up and relieve Leo from his watch. He tiptoed across the lab and touched his brother on the shoulder. “Get some sleep,” he whispered. 

Leo yawned and nodded before finding a spot on the floor and leaning up against the wall. He passed out within minutes, leaving Raph to guard the door. Every so often, Raph would glance over his shoulder to look at the others. The dim light made it difficult, but he could still see Don moving slightly and shifting around the sheets. Eventually the couple became still, telling Raph they were asleep again. So he distracted himself as best he could by thinking about katas and other exercises he used to practice with his father. About an hour into his shift, he sensed a presence behind him and turned to see that Sophia had awakened. Her tail rattled a little as she moved, but not loud enough to wake anyone. She stopped in front of the door, just a foot across from him. Raph wasn’t sure what she wanted, but if she planned anything, he would prevent it from happening. “Can’t sleep?” Raph whispered questioningly.

“I’m done sleeping, darlin,” she replied softly and crossed her arms as she leaned against the doorframe. “After bein’ chased for days, you don’t get a lotta shut eye.” 

Raph grunted and shrugged. They stood there in an awkward silence for a bit until she finally spoke again. Actually, she looked rather uncomfortable and swallowed very hard before getting out her next sentence.

“Listen, I ain’t good at this sorta shit…but I just wanted to say thank you…” She scratched her arms in nervousness and looked at him to gauge his reaction.

That caught Raph’s attention. He clearly saw how much courage it took for her to work up the nerve to say that. He wasn’t going to give her a hard time over it. “Listen, uh Sophia, I just…”

“Wait, let me get this out before I tear out my hair. It tells me a lot about ya character by rescuin’ me the way ya did. Plus ya didn’t kill that bastard, which honestly surprised me. I would have slit his throat if I was in ya shoes.” 

“I wanted to kill that guy,” Raph admitted and he lowered his eyes to the floor. “I shoulda to be honest, but I’ve got a code of honor that I need to fix. Killin’ that bastard woulda tarnished it. He was begging me and unarmed. My anger just got the best of me…as usual.” 

“You’re takin’ this way too hard,” she mumbled. 

“I have my reasons,” Raph quickly said, accidentally speaking louder than he meant to. Instantly he lowered his voice. “You have no idea how bad I wanted that man dead.”

“Why? Did he do somethin’ I ain’t aware of?” 

“No…”

“Then what?” she pressed further.

“It really ain’t none of your business.” He was starting to get really angry.

She wasn’t about to give up. “Let me take a wild guess. He reminds you of somethin’ you witnessed in the past? Or maybe you did somethin’ to yourself or someone else that caused you massive pain. So you were lookin’ for someone to take your anger out on…”

Raph growled and he grabbed Sophia by the shoulders, but did not attempt to hurt her. “Shut the fuck up,” he demanded, looking her square in the eye. It was interesting how she did not show any fear or lift a finger to release herself from his grasp. When he looked at her, he did not see the frightened girl he saw back on the second floor of the lab. Her eyes were almost concerning…

When she peered back into his, she saw a whirlpool of conflicting emotions. He was angry and confused. But there was also compassion and fear. “You’re holdin’ back, why?”

Annoyed by her response, he let her go and turned his head so he didn’t have to look at her.

“You’ve been acting so odd after you got me outta there. You better not be pitying me…” 

“I ain’t pitying ya. Knock it off,” he grumbled.

“I’ll stop harrassin’ ya after you tell me what’s goin’ on.”

Finally having had enough of her incessant nagging, Raph finally folded. “All right…fine. I’ll tell ya what happened. It’s a guarantee you ain’t gonna wanna be around me afterwards.”

“Try me,” she said simply and awaited his story.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The great outdoors.

The group had no choice but to move that morning. Raphael heard shouting a few tunnels away and he awakened everyone, save for Sophia, who he’d been talking to all night. She had been pretty silent after hearing his story, as Raph predicted, but she did not seem to fear him. It was odd. Most women would flee from a rapist, but she was a little different. Perhaps it was because he rescued her. 

All internal conflicts aside, Leo and Raph led the forefront of the group while Mikey brought up the rear with Sophia. Daniel assisted Donatello with walking and Bethany with Luke following close behind. Kerrigan held the baby boy close to her chest as she tried to keep up with Daniel. Audrey and Julie each held a weapon and were ready to shoot anyone who got in the way of the group. Daniel made sure to properly show them how to use the guns. They felt pretty comfortable carrying them, even though Julie was hesitant at first. According to Sophia, who had the most knowledge of the base, the exit was not much farther away. 

When they reached the final tunnel, they could see the light and in their excitement, the girls started to rush. Leo had to slow them down for their safety, but Sofia was also just as eager to escape and she went on ahead. As she reached the exit, she was wary about what was on the other side and knew Stockman would have something up his sleeve. Still, she turned the latch by the door and waited for the exit to rise up and reveal the brightly lit outdoors. 

Everyone had caught up with her and Leo was annoyed with her rash decision-making. “Stop. If you rush out there, you might get yourself killed!”

“No plan to die right now…” Sophia grumbled and she looked out into the clearing. It was dangerous to just go off wandering, but they really had no choice.

With Leo at the front again, he carefully peeked out and looked at the open field. He could see the trees off in the distance, but not a soldier in sight. He signaled for the others to slowly follow. 

Bethany was relieved to be outside once again, after being trapped in darkness for days. It was very cold and she had nothing more than her hospital gown. Luckily, it hadn’t snowed yet, but the ground froze her feet almost immediately. 

Luke had whimpered when the cold air hit him and he started to cough. “M-mommy…don’t feel good.” His voice was so weak and Bethany felt absolutely guilty for not being able to hold him the last few days.” She hugged him close to her body and the group proceeded into the opening. The turtles were cautious and kept a close watch for approaching enemies. 

They were closing in on the woods when they heard gunfire and Leo shouted, “Scatter!” Bullets blazed from the trees at them. Luke was screaming himself hoarse and Bethany tried all she could to calm him. Michelangelo was crouched above them, shielding them from the attack with his shell. Even he was trying to talk Luke into calming himself. “It’s okay, little man. We’re gonna be all right, I promise!” 

Several feet away, Audrey and Julie were firing their weapons back into the trees, blindly as they crouched behind the trunk of two trees. They were sure they hit a couple of their enemies because they heard shouts and thumps as though people fell from the branches. Sophia was buried beneath Raphael as the two took cover behind a low rising boulder. They were the closest to the enemy and at the most risk of taking a hit. 

“We gotta keep movin’!” Sophia shrieked.

“Not like this! You wanna die?!” Raph barked.

“Get off me!” she demanded.

“Stubborn, bitch! Stay down or I’ll make ya!” Raph yelled. Another reign of bullets struck the ground and several bounced off Raph’s shell. He had to keep Sophia put and went so far as to restrain her arms. He fought with her, but clearly she couldn’t budge him and gave up. During this time, Raph looked for Leo, who was only a few feet away and covering Kerrigan and the infant. She was crying and the infant was bawling, not liking the loud noise. She was looking frantically for her husband and calling to him. 

“Daniel!” Kerrigan shouted several times and she tried to turn herself to see if he was anywhere nearby. She spotted Donnie, but couldn’t see her husband. 

Donatello was lying flat on his belly, leg in pain and his head throbbing after striking it on the ground. He was conscious and keeping his head down, not having something to protect him from the gunfire other than his shell. After the bullets came flying at them, Daniel had no choice but to let them fall to the ground. Donnie had seen where the sergeant landed, but couldn’t move just yet. When the gunfire lessened, he dragged himself across the grass and to Daniel’s side. The soldier was not moving. 

“Daniel?” Don asked and reached over to shake him. There was no response. This time Donnie reached across and grabbed his friend by the shoulder and turned him over. His eyes widened and jaw dropped. Daniel had been struck by a stray bullet to the temple and blood was gushing from the wound. Pressing two finger’s to Daniel’s throat, he searched for a pulse. There was none and Don lowered his head, stricken with sadness. He barely knew the guy, but felt a great deal of respect for him. He lay his hand on top of the sergeant’s chest. “Rest in peace, soldier.” Afterwards, he carefully rolled himself towards better coverage, a line of trees and bushes nearby.

The barrage of firepower kept up and the group had no choice but to stay under the cover of trees. Leo had to order Audrey and Julie to quick shooting because he hoped that if they stopped returning fire, then maybe the soldiers hiding in the woods would stop as well. The shots went on for several more minutes, forcing everyone to remain down. 

Then the firing ceased and all was quiet. Bethany had managed to silence Luke and Michelangelo kept his position, still shielding them. Mikey peered over at his brother Leo, looking for instruction and the oldest brother decided to climb to his knees and cautiously peek out into the woods to see if anyone was coming. 

Then what sounded like a loudspeaker suddenly rang out and Abraham Stockman’s creaky voice drowned out any orders that Leo tried to give to the others. “I know you’re at the edge of the wood. Surrender now and I’ll order my soldiers to ceasefire! If you refuse, you will be killed and your bodies donated to the government for research!”

Raph exchanged looks with Leo and it was mutual that neither intended to surrender. It was now that they started to hear approaching soldiers and Leo and Mikey were forced to draw their weapons in anticipation. Raph had his knife and a machine gun on his belt, but he didn’t want to rely on an automatic weapon. Then Stockman continued his instructions…

“My men are holding their fire temporarily. You have five minutes to move forward and into custody and everyone, including women and children must come. No exceptions or I will order the entire group dead.”

The van was in the same direction as the soldiers position and the turtles knew they wouldn’t be able to move from their current position without being shot at. They had no choice. 

“Everyone, put your weapons away,” Leo said as he led by example. “We march forward, calmly. Do not attempt to draw anything or make any sudden moves.”

Raph began protesting, “But Leo, what about…”

“We have to, Raph. We can’t risk the women and children!” Leo then got to his feet, followed by Raph and Sophia. The others were hesitant, but when there were no shots fired, they all started to get up. 

Kerrigan was frightened and she looked for her husband, who wasn’t in sight and she started to panic. “D-Daniel? Where is he?!” she cried. 

Everyone was suddenly looking for him, except for Donatello, who was painfully standing on one leg, trying hard to keep his balance. He had a very glum look written across his features and suddenly Kerrigan realized something was wrong. 

Leo had slowly approached his brother. “Don, what’s going-“ but he didn’t finish. His eyes fell on the mossy ground behind the injured turtle and there was Daniel, lying in a pool of blood. Dead. “Oh g-geez…” was all he could say in disbelief and he spun around quickly to look at Kerrigan who was still staring in their direction. Her face had gone incredibly white and her mouth opened as though she were ready to scream. The realization hit her when she saw the body lying on the ground and she charged forward. “Stop her!” Leo shouted. 

Raph leapt into action and he quickly wrapped an arm around her shoulder and one around her waist, carefully not to hurt the infant. She was going into hysterics and started crying and yelling for her husband. Audrey had to intervene and took the baby from her arms while Raph continued his hold. “Easy, easy…” 

“N-no….Daniel!” Kerrigan kept up her cries and pleas for her husband to still be alive as she started to crumble in Raph’s arms. 

They had less than four minutes remaining and Leo knew they needed to hold off on their grieving. “We can’t leave him here for Stockman to claim,” Leo said and he gathered up Daniel into his arms. Mikey help Don walk. Raph, keep Kerrigan close. Everyone else, get behind me and Raph and follow us.” 

As Stockman promised, not a single shot was fired while the group moved forward into the woods. A few times they spotted soldiers, who did not attack, but only climbed down from their posts and escorted them towards their doom. Leo ordered all the girls and Luke in the center of the traveling group as they reached their destination. 

Stockman was smiling and holding a small pistol, prepared to fire if he needed to. “Disarm them,” he commanded. 

With a large group of about twenty soldiers surrounding them with machine guns, Leo couldn’t take the risk of fighting. The girls and child were not bulletproof and technically all the soldiers had to do was fire at the turtle’s limbs or head. He slowly put Daniel’s body down on the ground.

“Oh, such a shame…” Stockman mocked as he studied the dead body. “He would have made a great test subject too. Oh well, dissection it is!”

Kerrigan screamed in terror and struggled, but Raph kept her from trying to run. “Easy! Quiet!” he said sternly, trying his hardest not to show weakness in front of the enemy. 

“Oh by all means, let her go. We are going to be separating you in a moment. Gentlemen, please take the women and bind their hands. Bring the child to me as insurance. If they resist, shoot them all.” Stockman then awaited his soldiers to claim each prisoner. The girls were forced to drop all their belongings and the turtles willingly gave up their weapons. Bethany begged for them to leave her son by her side, but the militants ripped him out of her grasp and she started to cry. Luke screeched and kicked but the soldiers easily brought him to Stockman. The mad scientist then pointed his pistol at the child’s head while Bethany was restrained by his men. “Bring the turtles and the women back to the base once they’re secured.” Stockman then pushed Luke forward, forcing the child to walk as another soldier took Bethany and dragged her along as well. They disappeared in the thick trees, heading for the base again.

All their guns were on the grass and Audrey and Julie were cuffed already, leaving only the turtles and Sophia.

Sophia was snarling and hissing as the soldier took her arms and attempted to cuff them. In a rage she spun around and quickly knocked him to his ass with her tail.

“No!” Leo shouted, but his command fell on deaf ears. 

The soldier on the ground found himself with a set of teeth sinking into his neck and suddenly he went ridged. His body felt as though it was on fire and he howled in pain before succumbing to silence. The soldiers all around Sophia began randomly firing their weapons at Stockman’s command and the turtles had spread themselves out in an attempt to avoid the gunfire and they took down a couple of the soldiers each and reclaimed their weapons. A few stray bullets grazed Leo’s arms and legs, but he was able to drop to the ground for a minute to avoid anything serious. 

Raph and Mikey were back to back, taking out as many men as they could, but they were bruising and bleeding from multiple areas on their bodies. The soldiers were carrying knives and nightsticks and took the liberty of using them if they lost their guns. 

Sophia pushed her way through the fight, trying to get to Stockman. She had every intent on killing him, but someone had grabbed her arm. When she turned to attack whoever it was, she froze. The angriest of blue eyes were peering back into hers.

“Don’t you dare do try anything while Stockman’s got Luke! You’re the reason why this happened! I’ll be damned if I allow you to fuck this up even further!” Leo growled and he yanked her into his chest in order to throw a serious threat in her face, “If Luke dies…I’ll slit your throat…”

For once, Sophia was frightened. This man was not like any other she’s seen before. All other people have ever looked at her like she was an object of their sexual desires or an experiment. Leonardo looked at her with a murderous intent. He then pushed her aside and continued the fight. His brothers had already taken out more than half of the militants and Raph joined him by his side. 

“Where’s Luke?” Raph asked, searching around the trees for Stockman and the boy. 

“We have to go back!” Leo said and he quickly looked around for Mikey and Don. Michelangelo was finishing up with a the last of the soldiers as Don quickly untied the women before collapsing form exhaustion. “Mikey, Don, stay here with the girls. Raph and I are going after Bethany and Luke!” 

“You got it!” Mikey shouted.

The two brothers charged away in the same direction as Stockman, running quickly, swords and knives in hand. The trees scratched and cut them as they flew through the brush, trying to catch up before their companions were brought inside the base and lost to that underground labyrinth once again. It wasn’t long before Raph spotted the enemy and he picked up his pace. 

“Raph, wait! We need a plan!” Leo shouted as his brother rushed in for the kill. A hail of machine gun bullets flew past their heads and they took cover. 

“Kill them!” Stockman yelled and continued to drag Luke along while the soldier holding Bethany stayed put and continued firing.

“Luke!” Bethany cried as Stockman took her son farther away. She struggled against the soldier’s grasp. “Let me go!” 

Both turtles kept their backs towards the gunfire, keeping themselves protected. 

“We gotta make a move now!” Raph said.

“We will, just wait. Last thing we want is him turning his gun on Bethany,” Leo said, patiently. The bullets kept coming for a few more moments and then finally they stopped and Leo peeked around the tree, seeing exactly what he was hoping for. The soldier was reloading his gun and this was the moment to strike. “Now!” 

The pair jumped out from behind their trees and rushed towards the enemy who was panicking. Bethany stomped her foot down on the man’s foot and he yelped, loosening his grip on her and she fell to the ground. 

Raph reached the scene first and he threw a heavy punch to the man’s face, knocking him off his ass and to the ground. Then Raph collected his weapons and threw them over his shoulder. 

“You okay?” Leo asked Bethany, helping her to her feet. 

“I think I sprained my ankle,” she said with a pained expression and started to frantically search for Luke. “My boy! Where’s my son!”

“Come on! Keep moving,” Leo said and he offered to carry Bethany by scooping her up and tossing her over his shoulder for speed purposes. The trio chased after Stockman, who didn’t get far because of Luke’s screaming and kicking. 

Easily Raph caught up and spotted the scientist holding the child around waist. Leo and Bethany were not far behind. 

It was obvious to Stockman that he could not escape and he came to a halt when he spotted the turtles close behind. Immediately he pulled Luke in front of his body and pointed the pistol to the child’s head, causing his pursuers to stop. 

“Don’t ya fuckin’ hurt that kid!” Raph shouted.

Leo put Bethany down and she found herself in a state of fear again. Her baby was crying for help and she couldn’t do anything that wouldn’t cause Stockman to hurt her son. 

“I will put a bullet through this child’s head if you take another step,” Stockman said and he cocked his gun. 

“Just let him go, Stockman! This child is innocent and there’s nowhere for you to run!” Leo demanded. 

Stockman didn’t move a muscle. “I will take this boy’s life!” he threatened again. 

“No! No please! Take me instead!” Bethany screamed. 

“That’s the idea. You’re far too valuable to pass up. Now step forward my dear and once I have you in my possession, I’ll let your son go,” Stockman said. 

Luke was crying out to Bethany, but he was also tired of losing everyone he cared about. “Mommy, don’t! I’m tired of people dying…”

“Honey! What’re you saying?!” Bethany exclaimed. “Mommy’s coming to get you…” She then stepped forward, leaving the turtles behind as they called to her, insisting they could figure out another way. She ignored them and kept moving forward.

“No, mommy!” Luke shouted. She ignored him and kept coming and then things took a turn…

Luke wanted to be with her and he had his own ideas. When Stockman’s hand wandered close to his mouth, Luke quickly grabbed the limb and sank his teeth hard into the flesh. Stockman shouted in pain and wrangled his hand out of Luke’s mouth. The boy fell to the ground, but quickly recovered and he started dashing towards his mother.

Raphael took the opportunity to run and attempt to get both mother and son out of the range of fire. He was closing in on the two. 

Bethany reached out for her son and once he was in her arms, she nearly fell due to her sprain. With a heavy limp, she tried to run but couldn’t get far. She stumbled a few times and Stockman had already pointed his gun towards the mother and child. “Die you little bastard!” he shouted.

With only seconds to spare, Raphael reached Bethany and Luke just as Stockman pulled the trigger. He shielded the pair from the bullet, but instead felt something sharp and hot pass through his neck. Then blood started to gush from the open wound now residing by his throat. 

Before Stockman could fire another round, Leo had launched one of his swords at the mad scientist and it made a connection…

Stockman’s knees buckled beneath him when the sword jammed through one of his eye sockets. The gun fell from his hand and his body collapsed to the ground, never to get up again. 

Leo quickly rushed towards his seriously injured brother. “Raph! Oh shit…” He then brushed away Raph’s hand, which was covering the bloody wound. He listened as Raph coughed and spat out blood. “We gotta get you to Donnie!” 

“E-easy…Leo…” Raph mumbled and he pushed away his brother’s hand before recovering it with his own. Slowly he stood up and with Leo’s assistance they started walking back towards the others. 

Leo looked at Bethany, who was calming down Luke. “Are you okay?” 

Bethany nodded and she hugged her son. “Is Raph…?”

“We need to get him out of here and treated immediately. Can you walk?” 

“Yeah, slowly…but we’ll be right behind you. Just get Raph to your brother.” 

It was a long walk back towards the rest of the group and once Raph and Leo came into view, Michelangelo immediately started to help and he and Leo laid Raph on the ground so Donnie could inspect the wound. Bethany and Luke sat down nearby, watching as the brothers worked, especially Don. 

It wasn’t long before Don made an assessment. “Good news is, Raph’s wounds are mostly superficial. The bullet missed the artery. Bad news is this will leave a horrible scar.” He only had a little bit of medical supplies left and used what he could to cover the wound and slow the bleeding. He had nothing to stitch it back together. 

It was decided that they needed to leave this area and find the nearest corner store and gather materials, but first they needed to make the long trek to the van and figure out how to squeeze so many people inside. Plus they had to take a corpse with them. Te ride would be silent and unpleasant, but it had to be done…


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Redeemed..

Under Wraps Part 19

 

As predicted, the ride home was cramped, silent, and highly uncomfortable. The group would have been at each other’s throats if Leo had decided to keep driving instead of stopping close to a truck stop. Only Luke was able to take money and go inside the place and gather things and food. In the van, Donatello was treating Raph’s wound, doing his best to change out the gauze and stop the bleeding. For once, his brother was cooperative and relaxing against the front of the van. 

Michelangelo was outside the car stretching his legs with Bethany, who anxiously awaited her son’s return. She kept peering at the store out in the distance and the many restaurants surrounding it. Hopefully her boy could find most if not everything on the list plus food. The two of them quietly talked about nothing in particular, but it helped ease the pain of recent events. Audrey and Sophia were both out and pacing around the van, keeping watch. Neither spoke, but occasionally their paths would cross and they would acknowledge the other’s presence. Julie was seated in the back of the van with the infant in her lap, feeding the little one and keeping him quiet and warm. 

Leo remained in the front seat, draping his arm around Kerrigan, who was bawling over the loss of her husband. Occasionally, Leo would look at his driving companions in the back and then at the wrapped body lying across the floor. He didn’t have any words. This is exactly the same way he felt when Splinter died and he didn’t speak to his brothers for three days because of the confusion and hurt. 

Whether she realized it or not, Kerrigan had slipped down and rested her head in Leo’s lap, still crying. He didn’t have the heart to move her. At least driving wouldn’t be too difficult this way. He kept his hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently every now and again. He kept peering out the windshield at the truck stop. Luke was returning and struggling a bit to carry a large duffel bag filled with supplies. When he was close enough, Bethany and Mikey helped him out and the trio returned. Donnie immediately fumbled through the bag first, pulling out every medical supply he found. Luke did well and managed to find a small sewing kit and alcohol. It was the best Don could manage in such a short time and he started the process of stitching up Raph’s neck. 

The group munched on chips, pretzels, granola bars, and water. Kerrigan refused any food, even when offered by Leo. So instead, Leo put aside a few things for her, figuring she’d want to eat later. 

When Don had finished stitching up Raph’s wounds, they all piled back into the van and began the trek back to the city. It was nightfall by the time they reached the out limits of New York. Most of the group had fallen asleep when Leo finally pulled up to the warehouse. The cutting of the engine brought Mikey out of his sleep.

“Mikey, let’s get the ladies out first,” Leo whispered and he pocketed the keys. 

They spent about thirty minutes getting the women to the lair, except Bethany who insisted on staying with Don. Mikey took Luke and carried him. The child was out cold so no tantrums would arise. Audrey and Sophia were fine, but Julie had a little trouble with the infant, at least with keeping him quiet. Kerrigan brought up the tail end of the girls, walking in total silence, too tired to cry anymore. She followed Leo into the lair, along with the rest of the girls and Mikey. Not caring where anything was, the women found places on the couches and floor and collapsed. Mikey took Luke upstairs to his room to put him to bed. Kerrigan was the only one who stayed in the living, staring off into space. Leo tried to coax her into laying down, but she simply ignored him and had a seat at the kitchen table. 

After leaving some instructions to Mikey, Leo returned to the van to collect his brothers and the body. Bethany offered to help but Leo told her to stick with helping Donnie. So she acted as a crutch and the pair walked slowly down the sewer together while Leo carried Daniel and Raphael stumbled along on his own, refusing any assistance. 

Settling in the lair was hard for everyone, but they would manage to get a few hours of sleep before the real recovery could begin.

The next morning, Bethany was awakened by her son, who asked for breakfast. Luckily Michelangelo had already started cooking and made lots of pancakes and sliced fruit. Sophia had kept to herself while she ate and refused to talk to anyone. She was so uncomfortable with the situation and being in a former enemy’s hideout was just too strange. Donatello was on his feet, but limping a great deal. Finally he had the medicines he needed to treat Raph and himself. They were both content and healing with lots of painkillers. He also felt the need to check Bethany’s back. She was healing at a much faster rate. The large gash down her spine was taking the longest and he was forced to take out the stitches and replace them with fresher ones. This time he had anesthetic and the job was quick. 

Bethany sat up on the table and fixed her fresh shirt. “Thanks. My back doesn’t have as much pain anymore.”

“You’re welcome. It’s the least I could do,” Don replied as he removed his gloves and tossed them in the trash. He then leaned back in his chair and rubbed his injured leg. “Ah…those meds sure work fast.” 

“I’m sorry you got shot. None of this would have happened if it wasn’t for me,” she said sadly. 

“Stop that. You know it’s not your fault. You did what any of us would have done. My brothers and I are no strangers to pain and injury. It comes with the territory.” 

“So what happens now?” 

“Hm?” 

“The girls, me, my son, Daniel…” 

Don cleared his throat, not entirely sure what to say. “I suppose Leo and Mikey will go out into the sewer system and start scouting out areas that are safe and establish some living quarters for the girls. We’re not sure about the infant but I have a feeling that the baby may stay with them. As for Luke, that is entirely up to you but I do know he needs to get back into school before the system starts to wonder about his attendance. We’ll give Daniel a proper burial fit for a soldier. He was a good man for as long as I’ve been with him. As for you, well…I…uh…”

She awaited his answer, but he was hesitating. When he couldn’t form the words, she finally said, “I’ll go with the other girls, wherever they decide to stay.” 

That answer caught Don off guard and he frowned. For some reason, he was hoping for another answer and his gaze fell to the floor. He sighed and cleared his throat once again, realizing this wasn’t a time for feeling sorry for his own problems…but damn it, that hurt! Bethany had pulled herself up and slowly made her way to the lab door, intending to join her son outside. However a strong set of fingers clasped around her wrist and she found herself being spun around to face a very serious Donatello. His arms wrapped around her waist, careful not to touch her wound and he pulled her into his embrace. For a moment their eyes locked and Don could no longer hold back. His lips crashed onto hers and they had one of the most intense kisses they’ve ever shared. His tongue slithered in her mouth and intertwined with hers. When they finally broke apart, Bethany’s cheeks were red and her breathing had sped up. Don didn’t know what came over him, but the last few weeks have been an emotional roller-coaster and his feelings were spilling out of control whenever he was around her. 

She swallowed hard. Did he have trouble expressing himself right this or maybe…was he hoping that she would fill in the blanks? “Donnie…I, d-don’t know what to-“

He silenced her with another soft kiss and this time her hands slid up his shoulders and around his neck, but his height made it very difficult for her to reach him. He crouched down, giving her better access to his shoulders, but couldn’t hold the position long since it was hard on his thigh. She gently pushed him back into a chair and stood between his legs. He was damn near the same height she was now, but it was easier for her to embrace him. With her arms secured around his neck, she brought her mouth back down on his for a moment and for a second, she swore she could feel his hands slowly rising up her sides and partially lifting her blouse, but that’s where it ended. 

Before their kiss could go any further, Don remembered he had to help with Daniel’s body since he knew the process of burial the best along with Leo. 

__________________________________________________________

A week had passed and the group was well on their way to recovery, except for Kerrigan and even Bethany found it very painful when Stockman’s secret base was exposed on the news. The body count was high and government officials were trying to cover up the story. Bethany had no chance in recovering her mother’s body and it hurt very badly. Still, Don promised to help her get her life back in order and so far, her home and belongings were situated and her son was now attending class again, thanks to the help of Don’s human friends, April, Casey and their kids. It was very heartbreaking for Bethany, but she decided it was best for Luke to live above ground and April and Casey were kind enough to take her son. Of course, they would bring Luke into the sewers a couple times per month so she could visit with him. 

As for Raphael, he was healing and his neck in much better shape, although talking was a bit rough for him. He’d been quietly sulking in the lair and sometimes wandered out into the sewers to have some alone time. It was a bit of a pain to have so many people under one roof. 

It was a lengthy search, but Leo and Mikey eventually found a place about fifteen minutes walk from the lair that the girls could live in. It would need a good cleaning and fixing up, but the guys offered to help, even Raph. 

There was weeks of work ahead of the group and eventually the new lair was up and running. Don spent so much time getting heat and electric and clean water flowing throughout. Audrey and Sophia did the most work in rebuilding some of the structures and they grew pretty close. Once they had the basic necessities, Don gave them the okay to move into their new place when they were ready, but there was a couple things that needed to be done first. 

When exactly one month had passed since the ordeal at the compound, Leo had been on patrol all night when he decided the nighttime was quiet enough to return home early. He set foot in the lair, tired, and ready to take a couple hours of rest. But first, a restroom break and a quick toothbrushing. He walked past the living room where the girls were asleep, except for Kerrigan, but Leo was used to seeing her in the kitchen by herself at this hour. She would be reading or quietly contemplating to herself. He went towards the bathroom, noticing the light was on and the door cracked open slightly. He knocked, figuring Kerrigan was in there. When there was no response, he knocked again, only to receive the same lack of acknowledgement. He felt it was safe and slowly pushed the door open. It was strange that someone left the lights on at this hour, but he didn’t think much of it until he spotted something in the shower stall. It looked like the tip of a tail and suddenly Leo blushed, thinking she was bathing.

“Hello?” Leo called softly. He took a step closer and recognized the skin color to be hers. Lately she’s been so quiet and distant. Perhaps she fell asleep in the shower? But the water wasn’t running and he grew a little worried that she might be cold or may get sick. “Kerrigan?” When the tail didn’t move, Leo became deeply concerned and he moved over to the stall and quickly drew back the curtain…

In his horror, he found Kerrigan lying on the floor unconscious and her arms slashed to ribbons. There was a pool of blood beneath her nude body and immediately Leo dropped to his knees and started shaking her, not caring if the blood stained his hands and clothes. Next to her lay a dagger; one of the ones the guys all trained with in the dojo. She’d cut herself…

Panic-stricken, Leo rushed out of the bathroom and into the lab where he violently awakened Donnie. 

“W-what?” Donnie asked, annoyed and groggy. He sat up and rubbed his eyes before retrieving his glasses nearby. “Leo…it’s early…” When he looked up at his brother, he saw dread and sadness. “Leo?”

Leo’s face had lost a lot of its color, but he managed to say, “Kerrigan…”

The lair that morning was quiet…

Julie and Audrey were in tears and Bethany refused to come out of the kitchen. They all wanted space. Sophia hid herself in the dojo since she hated being around people while they grieved. It bothered her a lot. Raphael and Mikey waited in the living room while Leo and Don worked to get Kerrigan into a cloth and carry her out. They didn’t want the girls to see the body and decided the best place to put her was in the dojo temporarily until they could get everything situated. 

It was very painful to have so many funerals in one month. First, Daniel and Bethany’s mother and ex-husband, now Kerrigan. Leo took to cleaning Kerrigan’s body and draping her in silk. Bethany had become a little more social later on and helped prepare the eulogy. The funeral was very simple and short. They planned to bury Kerrigan next to her husband in Central Park when it grew dark enough outside. 

The girls decided it was time for them to move into the other lair as they felt they needed a fresh start and just time away from such a sad place. Julie had been looking after the infant the most and she was a little uncomfortable with moving so far from the guys, but she figured it was best if she and the baby had their own space. She’d taken a liking to the child and proceeded to calling the little boy Alexander. 

Sophia and Audrey had grown fiercely independent and it was about time they carried on. The day came when the girls were leaving and Donnie seemed to be irritated the most. He barely spoke to Bethany over the last few weeks and only offered to help her move a few things to her new place. While the others were pretty happy to help, he spent a great deal of time in the lab sulking…and Bethany noticed. She felt somewhat guilty and decided to confront him over his coldness. 

When everyone had left the lair to move the last of the supplies, Bethany remained behind and gently knocked on the lab door, to which Don said it was fine to enter. She pushed open the heavy door and stepped inside, gently closing it behind and spotting Don at his work desk, building what looked like a frame. 

“Donnie,” she said, catching his attention.

The very busy turtle stopped with his welder and lifted the mask over his eyes. When he spotted her, his expression did not change, but he did take the mask off completely and removed his gloves. He didn’t say anything, but his eyes were asking all the questions. 

A little bit uncomfortable, she finally asked, “Are you angry with me?” Her eyes lowered to the floor and then to a project sitting before her. She reached out and ran a finger along the pieces of metal protruding from a box, wondering how he would react.

Don sighed. He knew this would come eventually. “Not angry per say…maybe a little frustrated.”

“Why? Is it because I’m moving out?” 

He found his mouth extremely dry, but she hit the nail on the head and there was nothing he could do to hide it any longer. “I suppose that’s a reason.”

“But you’ll have your whole lab back, your space, your life. I’ve been so much trouble, how could you want me to stick around?”

“How could you think I’d be selfish enough to ask you to move out of my life? I told you. My brothers and I have been through much worse and we never give up on our friends. But right now…it feels like you’re giving up on me.”  
“What do you mean? I’m not giving up on you. I’m just rebuilding my life the best way I know how from the ground up,” she said. Somehow, she felt his tone was gradually becoming condescending.

She was either missing the point or avoiding it altogether, so he finally said, “Where do I fit in to all of this? The last month I’ve been wanting to help you start over, but I feel that you prefer to do it alone. Beth…do you want me in your life?” 

When she didn’t respond right away, he sighed again and turned his back to continue doing his work. She was about to march right up to that desk and continue the conversation when the lab door opened and Leonardo appeared. 

“Bethany, it’s time,” Leo said.

“Y-yeah. Coming…” she replied and made her way to the door, which Leo graciously held for her. 

“Donnie, you too. We have some special business to conduct in the dojo, remember?” 

“Oh, I almost forgot. One sec,” Don said and took off his apron and set down his tools again. He suddenly remembered the conversation he’d had with Leo over a week ago and today was the agreed upon day. Putting aside all thoughts about Bethany, he jogged out of the lab, joining Leo as they made their way to the dojo.

_______________________________________________________

Michelangelo and Raphael had arrived back at the lair after helping the girls move into their new quarters. It was a productive day and they were a bit tired. All seemed quiet upon their return, but Mikey knew exactly what he needed to do and he ushered Raphael into the dojo, where the entire turtle clan was waiting. 

“What’s goin’ on?” Raph asked. He peered around the dojo, seeing that his brothers were lined up in a row and Bethany was also present and standing at the very end of the line, holding a long folded sheet. 

His oldest brother broke away from the line and approached him. “Raph…”

The tone of Leo’s voice was incredibly serious. It reminded him of his father and suddenly Leo draped a hand on his shoulder. 

“How’s your neck?” 

Raph touched the bandage covering his throat. “It’s good…yeah, just yeah…” 

“Glad to hear it. Raph, there’s something that the guys and I discussed a little while back and we finally made a decision today.” He gestured to Bethany, who carried over the sheet and stood by Leo’s side while Mikey and Don looked on. Leo then unfolded the top layer of the cloth in her arms, revealing twin sais. He picked up one of the weapons and studied the weapon briefly. “A long time ago I took this from a disgraced warrior and told him that an incredible act of honor would earn him back the right to carry again. Raph, you put forth a lot of work trying to regain our trust and reconnect a relationship that seemed hopeless from the beginning. Emotionally, you struggled. Physically you suffered. All seemed for naught until you finally delved deep enough to reconstruct that bond. The process was slow, but necessary. Raphael, you saved two lives by taking a bullet to the neck. It could have killed you…”

Raph was growing nervous, but he really appreciated every word. He continued to listen…

Leo nodded, seeing that his brother was getting emotional. But he had more to say. “You also proved to me that you understood the consequences of your actions by saving Sophia from a terrible fate. While she is not here, I did receive her blessing to give you back this weapon.” Leo then held the newly shined sai to his brother. 

It meant a lot to Raph and he accepted the familiar steel weapon. His fingers remembered the weight of it and it seemed like it was just yesterday that he’d held it. He smiled, which in turn got him a smile back from Leo. Once the exchange was made, Leo turned and looked at Bethany. 

She took this as her cue to give Leo the other sai, but Leo refused to take it, confusing her. 

“I know we have one more to return to you, Raph. But the other sai is not mine to return. Don, Mikey, and I feel that this one needs to come from the person who had to regain a bond of trust deeper than anything we could have ever lost.”

Bethany finally caught on. When she spoke to Leo last week, she was fine with returning the weapons to Raph, but he never implied that she would be participating this much. She was originally supposed to hold them, nothing more. With recent events resolved, she felt that she could do this and slowly unwrapped the remaining sai and handed the cloth to Leo. She willingly approached Raph, not a speck of fear remaining within her. When she was barely two feet in front of him, she could tell he was slightly nervous. He must think she might be feeling pressured. What could she say that hadn’t already been said? And then she thought of it. “What you did for my son, me, and Sophia means a lot. I appreciate the steps you took for reparations and now I get to thank you for saving our lives by risking your own. I’m not good at speeches…but…” She then held the sai in two hands and out towards him, “Raphael, I forgive you.” 

Raph didn’t know where to begin. What could he say to express his gratitude and graciousness for having her return his weapon and issue forgiveness? He almost teared up and eventually lowered his head, but not out of shame…but happiness. Then he felt something he didn’t think he’d ever receive form her…a pair of outstretched arms reaching for his neck. Without even thinking, Raph crouched down slightly and let her embrace him and he returned the gentle hug, but not too much so she wouldn’t feel uncomfortable. He peered up at his brothers and saw their smiling faces. Once Bethany stepped away, Mikey charged in first and gave his older brother a big hug and a round of congratulations. Don did the same, but added a simple handshake and words of encouragement plus gratitude for a job well done. Leo was last, but his simple bow meant more to Raph than any hug or kind words. It was a sign of great respect. 

“So, bro. Now that ya got your gear back, how about a few rounds?” Mikey asked and he ripped his chucks out of his belt.

Raph grinned and held his sais up for the ready. “You got it, but I hope you’re in for an ass whoopin’!” 

Bethany took a seat on the sidelines of the dojo, intending to watch how the two brothers spar. She’d heard from Mikey that the fights sometimes got intense, but today it seemed more of an appreciative battle between brothers. Leo had taken a seat next to her, but Donnie immediately left without another word or a glance in her direction. The oldest brother obviously noticed some tension between his brother and her. He kept his voice low when addressing her.

“Problems outside the dojo?” Leo asked. 

Bethany swallowed and continued watching the fighting turtles, but she responded in kind. “I think I hurt him.”

“How so?” 

“When I told him I was going to move out into the other lair with the girls, he grew very distant. I don’t know, Leo. I’m confused. I lost so much in the past weeks and I’m struggling to rebuild. I feel like I shouldn’t be moving so fast.”

Leo cleared his throat and spoke softly. “Donnie’s always had trouble with emotions, probably more so than Raph because he lets them bottle up. If anything, he’ll turn passive-aggressive. It’s hard to deal with someone you can’t read. With Raph, he dumps his emotions in your lap and will be done with it in a split second. Also, take into account our lack of experience with relationships. Donnie’s never been in love, neither have I or any of us for that matter. Someone with such a technical mind like my smart brother doesn’t know where romance or relationships fit in. He’s struggling to understand you, like most men struggle to understand women in general. You have to help him understand.”

“How do I do that?” she asked.

“First you need to tell yourself where the relationship stands. Do you want this relationship?”

“I..uh…”

“That’s what you need to figure out. If you don’t want it, you need to let him know otherwise he’ll be stuck in this phase forever. I would also think that living in the other lair with the girls would make that point clear. However, judging on your actions in the past…I’m leaning towards you wanting a relationship,” Leo said. 

“I just…I’m feeling broken. My first husband was so difficult. He never understood me. Don must be feeling the same way I did before. I can’t let that happen…”

Leo smiled. “I think you know where you stand. Now’s the time for action.”


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Admission

A few days had gone by and the girls had all moved into the new lair…

Bethany was still struggling with her position in the turtle’s lives, especially Don’s. Leo had made a lot of good points when they last talked and she had to admit that she really liked having Don around. He was a fine man with brains, protective arms, and compassion. Her son also seemed to like him as well and that was always a plus in her book. 

Currently, she was sitting out in the sewer, staring up at a grate and the light beams shining through. The humans above were casually walking by, continuing their lives as they normally would. She questioned herself and where she could have been if this never happened to her or her family. Perhaps she’d be in a better paying position and living happily with her son in full custody. Sighing, she closed her eyes and allowed the sunbeams to warm her face. 

After living down here so long now, she grew used to the smell of sewage and the sounds of the noisy streets above. She lay on the ledge for a few hours just contemplating until she fell asleep. By the time she awakened, it was nightfall and she found herself a little bit chilly from the night air. She returned to her lair where all her lair-mates were in bed except for Julie, who was up feeding Alexander a bottle. Bethany bypassed the kitchen and went straight for her room, which only consisted of a bed, a nightstand, and a dresser with some of her clothing. She changed out of her long skirt and blouse in favor of putting on a thin nightgown with spaghetti straps and it hung down just above her knees. She planned to go to bed, but after having slept for so long, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to. 

A great deal of time passed and she just couldn’t get comfortable. Tossing and turning was getting old. When she peeked at the clock on the nightstand it read midnight. Her mind was full and it meant no sleep for tonight, but the reason behind her boggled brain was probably sleeping comfortably in his own lair…

After another thirty minutes passed, she gave up and crawled out of bed, retrieving her shoes and a long sweater jacket. She wrapped herself up and tiptoed through her home, making it to the exit without waking any of the girls. Stepping out into the sewer, she took the path leading to the turtle’s place and walked slowly. 

The turtle’s lair was quiet it seemed. Leo had given Bethany permission to drop in whenever she liked and taking the opportunity now seemed kind of rude because it was so late, but she went in anyways. She made sure to tiptoe towards the back where Don’s lab was. He might be working late again, as he was known to do. When she reached the big steel door, she cracked it open and peered inside. All the main lights were off. It was a rare night where he may truly be asleep at this hour. Squeezing through the doorway, she carefully padded across the lab so not to alarm him if he was passed out. 

Only one small light over his desk was lit and she didn’t see him hunched over in his chair like he usually was when asleep. She peeked over at the papers scattered all over the table. Schematics and other plans for what looked like expanding the lair were laid out. Her nosiness prompted her to pick up one of the blueprints and study it. 

Then she heard a smooth and even voice call out to her…

“Bethany?”

Startled, she dropped the schematic and spun around to see Donnie standing there. He was holding a mug in one hand and a tool box in the other. 

“D-Don…I’m, I was…” she stammered.

He didn’t appear annoyed by her presence, but he certainly had very little emotion in his tone. Talking a sip from his drink, he finally asked what she wanted. “What are you doing here? It’s the middle of the night.” 

She had no idea how to begin. In fact, she had no clue why she came here to begin with. She watched as he calmly lifted his mug to his lips, sipped, and lowered it again. He had no emotions gracing his features and this made it even more difficult for her to speak. His gaze was intent and his eyes appeared to pierce right through her. She never felt so intimidated by him before and found her speech becoming more and more slurred as the minutes passed by. Eventually she had to stop trying before she made a fool of herself.

Donnie strolled over to his desk and placed his tool box down before taking a seat in his chair. He did not say a word since his initial appearance and only sat there in his chair, simply holding his cup and making her feel uncomfortable. In a way, it looked like he was enjoying watching her struggle. He leaned back in his chair, crossing one foot over the other and just waited…

Was he expecting her to say something? She swallowed hard and tried to talk again, but the words just wouldn't form. However…he started with his own thoughts. 

“You know, this is the second time you’ve come to me in the night,” he said as he put down his mug and dropped his hands into his lap. “The first time was back at the compound…”

Her eyes shot straight to the floor. “N-not really. I was asleep by your side…eh, hanging off the side of the cot.” 

“You still stayed with me. Kept me company. Is that why you’re here now?” 

“I’m not sure why I came here…”

Donnie leaned back in his chair and sighed, but he continued to press her. “I think you do know why you came here. Beth, you know it hurts when you can’t openly admit that you might have feelings for me..”

“After everything that I’ve been through the last month and a half, can you really blame me for being so confused?” she said, slightly irritated that he would push the matter.

“You’re right. But at the same time, I’ve been dealing with my own conflicting emotions and it hasn’t helped that you’ve been directing your affections towards me.” Donnie sat up and slowly pulled himself back on his feet. “Bethany, I don’t know what you’re thinking right now, but I can tell you that if you keep doing this to me…”  
“I’m sorry!” she cried and marched herself over to the desk, dropping her palms flat on the surface and closing her eyes. “My marriage was a disaster. Nothing good came out of it except for my son. After the divorce proceedings, I felt it very hard to trust men again. I don’t want to fail at another relationship or be treated…like second place.” 

“You think I’m going to do the same as your ex?” 

Her shoulders hunched and she hung her head. “I don’t believe that you would…but my heart doesn’t want to get ripped out again and stomped on. I can’t help it…” When he didn’t respond, she looked up, expecting a very angry turtle to be standing before her. However, she felt a set of fingers plant themselves underneath her chin and lift her head, bringing her attention back on him. 

Donnie’s eyes were soft and his touch was incredibly gentle. When he spoke again, his voice was filled with compassion. “I would never do anything to harm you. I just want a chance to prove it to you…” 

The tiniest of smiles graced her lips and she found herself unable to hold back. She opened her arms and quickly stepped into his embrace. “I’m so sorry I made you feel awful the last few weeks!” 

His arms wrapped tightly around her and his chin settled on the top of her head. His fingers ran through her hair and his other hand settled at the small of her back, pressing against her sweater coat and lifting it slightly. “I know how hard it’s been for you, but…I just want to have a relationship with you. I want to make you happy again.”

She smiled and pressed her cheek against his plastron. “You know, Leo said a lot of things that encouraged me to move forward. I couldn’t stop thinking about our conversation that night we gave your brother back his sais. He told me about your personality a bit.” 

Donnie smiled. “Yeah, I can be a bit difficult to read, but I’m glad Leo was able to detail my complicated persona. Perhaps you can enlighten me on the ways of emotional attachment.”

She chuckled, “Yeah, I can…Leo said-“

“Let’s not talk about my brothers right now.”

“Okay. What do you want to talk about?” 

“Us. Where we stand as of now.” Donnie loosened his grip on her so they could part slightly, but his hands remained at her waist and hers settled on his forearms. “I want to be a part of your life…and I hope you feel the same way.”

Bethany smiled again and she brought her hands up to his shoulders, as far as she could reach and gently pulled until he caught on and lowered his face. She placed a small kiss on his lips before softly whispering, “I want a relationship with you…” 

Donnie’s heart nearly skipped a beat and he finally allowed himself to sink further into her arms. His lips reconnected with hers and they shared a very passionate kiss. He didn’t want to have to crane his neck and simply scooped her up by the waist, lifting her until her head was level with his and his hands held her securely by gripping her thighs. Her legs opened to wrap around him and she was able to embrace his neck as they kissed. Her nails raked the soft skin below his skull and his bandana tails tangled around her fingers. Eventually his glasses slid down his nose and he chuckled when she assisted him by pushing them back up with her nose. This allowed her to trail little fluttering kisses along the bridge of his muzzle before reconnecting their lips. 

To finally have Bethany admit her true feelings meant a lot to him and he intended to show just how much he cared. He slowly turned around and carried her to the lab door, their kiss never breaking and he opened it with his foot. A good walk lay between the lab and his room, but he made the trek as quietly and quickly as possible. Upon arrival, Bethany closed the door as he carried her in and he brought her to his unkempt bed. Still holding her tight, he leaned the two of them over and placed her down against the mattress. Her legs remained parted and he easily fit between them, but kept all of his weight on his elbows. He could feel her tail wriggle against his thigh and he felt a chill run up his spine. Then he decided to finally break their kiss. 

A moment of silence passed between them and Bethany found herself slowly becoming nervous. “Donnie…I’m really…” 

“I won’t do anything that you disapprove of,” he said and stroked the side of her face. “I just want to be with you.”

It was flattering and she was appreciative of how slow he was moving in their relationship, but she couldn’t deny that her stomach was flip-flopping with anticipation. Her broken heart from her marriage was healing and she’d moved past the incident with Raphael by keeping on good terms with him and forgiving him. Now that she was regaining her life, she was ready to expand and relive it. “Donnie, I’m not afraid anymore.” She then cupped his cheeks and kissed his forehead. Afterwards, she planted several more kisses down the bridge of his nose and on his cheeks all while sliding her sweater down her arms, revealing her nightgown to him. She easily kicked off her shoes and could feel him doing the same with his. Of course, he had more gear on and he was removing each piece one by one as they kept up their affections. 

“Beth…I don’t w-wanna p-push you or a-anything…” he stuttered as he tossed aside the last of his armor. “B-but I…really…want…” He hesitated, not able to bring himself to say it or ask it of her.

She had a heavy blush spread across her cheeks. She was nervous as hell and understood perfectly what he was asking for but he was afraid. However, the memory of Raphael made this incredibly difficult and she wanted to say no, but her heart and body was saying yes. If she could allow Donnie to get this close to her, perhaps her recovery would go that much quicker. He was so gentle and kind, how could she deny such a beautiful soul the opportunity to experience the most intimate act known to man? She’d been with him long enough to know that he was sweet and respectful. If she said no, he would certainly back off, but she’d done so much to cause him pain. She couldn’t deny him a special moment and honestly…she was longing for a gentle man’s touch again. Without a word, she squeezed her hands between them and tugged the material of her nightgown up. It easily slid between their bodies and when she managed to get the material to her chest, Donnie appeared flustered. 

He swallowed hard when she pulled her dress over her head. He’d seen her before, but not like this. Nearly losing his nerve, Don closed his eyes and only felt her body move against his. Her breasts were now exposed and pressed to his plastron. 

She tossed her nightgown aside, letting it fall to the floor and nothing stood between her and Don’s body. 

He was flabbergasted that she was willing to go so far for him. Not that he didn’t want to, but he was very apprehensive. She was treated like trash and used the last few years. What could she be thinking this moment? Don opened his eyes again to peer down into hers and saw nothing more than trust in those lovely orbs. His fear and astonishment turned into flattery and he turned redder than ever. Then he felt a twitch underneath his shorts and he knew that it would be impossible to turn back if he continued, but he didn’t want to stop. 

As he contemplated his next move, he felt her lips brushing against his throat and her delicate hands pressed up along his forearms, gently squeezing the muscles. Donnie sighed, relishing in her soft kisses and allowing his mind to succumb to her whims. His inexperience…he didn’t want it to show and so he pressed his lips to her forehead and claimed her around the waist, allowing some of his weight to press down on her. 

Donnie was heavy, but she didn’t mind the extra burden for the time being. She felt secure and content. His knees kept her legs spread wide and now she could feel his arousal rubbing through his spandex and against her core. He truly wanted her and he wasn’t pushing her to make up her mind…

It was obvious that she knew about his growing desire and Don swallowed again. “Uh..um…s-sorry…I can’t really control it…” 

She whispered into his shoulder, “I know you can’t. Don’t try to. I don’t want you to…”

His eyes widened and he understood. “S-so…you’re…g-giving me…”

Bethany kissed along his shoulder and reached for his wrist. She slowly brought his hand up, letting it run along her ribs until his fingers connected with the soft flesh of her breast and she let it settle, covering the entire mound. 

He couldn’t prevent his grip from flexing and he massaged her flesh, feeling the skin swell between his fingers and the nipple press into his palm. Their eyes locked once more and he could no longer restrain himself. Asking her outright, “Beth…would you let me make love to you?” 

She was taken aback by his request to give her physical love and sensed his sincerity. His eyes reflected his desire to love her and she wanted to cry, yet held back her tears. “Yes…” 

Delighted and terrified by her acceptance, Donatello quickly crushed her lips with his and the pair entwined their bodies, arms and legs tangled together as they kissed. Hands explored and tongues slid against each other. Bethany’s tail wrapped itself around his thigh of its own accord and she dragged her fingers down his sides, skimming along the edge of his plastron and causing him to moan softly.  
“I like that…” he admitted and backed off of her, keeping her hands on his sensitive skin, but he wanted to please her as well. Her breasts came into view and he sunk down slightly so his face lined up with her left swell and he let his tongue roll out of his mouth and taste the sweet skin of her nipple. His tongue spiraled around the peaking teat and flattened over the entire areola. 

His bandana tails dangled onto her chest, tickling her skin and she held in her chuckles in favor of savoring his affections on her chest. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, bringing him closer and he responded by opening his mouth wide and taking the nipple inside. The suction drew her skin in tightly and he teased and deeply kissed the mound, allowing his teeth to occasionally nip. He continued for several minutes until he decided to switch sides and give her other breast the same attention. As he did so, he had images running through his mind. Since he was so inexperienced, he could only rely on books and films to guide him, but none could tell him if everything he did was what she’d enjoy. Only Beth could tell him, but she refrained from saying anything more than a moan or groan. 

He dragged his hands to her ribs, where they rested and his nails raked the underside of her breasts. When he felt her breasts were sufficiently colored a deeper shade of blue he stopped and admired his work. Small marks and splotches of broken capillaries littered her skin. He smiled and rest his cheek against her belly. He was nearly in denial that this was happening, but even if this was a dream, he didn’t want it to end. Then Donnie grew bolder and wanted to put his skills to the test. “Stay still,” he muttered as he started lowering himself down her torso, leaving a trail of kisses down her belly. He stopped momentarily at her belly button and dipped his tongue into it before continuing downwards. Her beautiful teal skin darkened slightly the further he went and finally he reached a small patch of curly hair, groomed neatly and tickling his chin. He could now smell her feminine scent. Mammals were very interesting creatures indeed. Their pheromones wafted in the air, attracting their mates and seducing them. Not being a mammal himself, he never understood it exactly, but could now that he was exposed so closely to her sex. Her scent was light and pleasant. Perhaps his mutation, which was fused with a bit of human DNA gave him the gift of attraction to mammals. His human half was excited and he could feel his length hardening fully. It couldn’t be helped and he reached into his spandex and gripped his length, running his palm along it as he brought his face down to her core and got a perfect view of her folds. 

“Oh…man…” Donnie uttered, his nerves slowly creeping back up on him. He gulped, but refused to give into his apprehension and he gripped one of her thighs while his other hand continued to stroke himself. The friction on his length encouraged him to continue because he knew a different kind of friction would be applied to his long appendage later on and he really wanted to know what it felt like. Not letting go of himself, he slowly ran his thumb over the head of his cock while his face moved closer to her body. With his other hand holding her body, Donnie started with gentle kisses along her thighs, tongue sliding up and down the scales and then running over the soft flesh surrounding her sex. Her labia was deepening in color due to the blood rushing to her genitals and he saw that her folds flushed and a sheen of moisture started to spread. His curiosity led him to trail his tongue along the slit of her pussy and he could taste the sweet, yet bitter fluid that would allow him entrance later. It was just as pleasant as it smelled and he couldn’t help but drive his tongue between the swollen petals. 

That’s when her mewls and cries began. Hearing her pleas and feeling her fingers entangle in his bandana kept his focus on her body. Right now, he only wanted to bring her pleasure and make her feel special. When her torso started to buck, he smiled and was forced to let go of himself so he could have two hands steady her. He gripped her hips tightly and instantly started to lap at her, drinking heartily and loving her delectable flavor. He’d never tasted anything like it and if he wasn’t careful, he’d down every drop. Then he figured she’d be ready for the last leg of this oral tour and he brought his tongue up about an inch where her clitoris lay. He barely brushed the tiny bead, causing her body to jolt and her voice to echo in his room. 

Bethany’s back arched and her mouth fell open. “Oh…g-god! Don’t stop…” she begged and her nails dragged on the top of his head. 

Donnie almost snorted at her reaction, but settled for a smirk. But he did hope she’d keep her voice down since his brothers didn’t need to know what they were up to. Every tiny cry that escaped just motivated him to keep torturing her and he licked and sucked the clit to his heart’s content, causing her to squirm and wriggle almost out of his grasp. 

Her arms raised over her head to grab onto the pillow and she squashed it between her fingers, trying so hard not to scream and wake his brothers at this hour. Her hair was sprawled out all over the bed and some began sticking to her neck as she started heating up. Her belly was warm with passion which started to spread into her loins. His naturally talented tongue circled her clit, dove inside her slit, and he would sometimes suck the soft flaps between his lips. Then she felt his hand slowly glide up her thigh and a very thick object slowly made its way inside her. It was determined to be one of his fingers. “Oh…Donnie…y-you have no i-idea how amazing that f-feels…” 

For a split second, Don backed away from her to clue her in. “I’m sure I can determine that by how much you’re squirming and begging.” Then he returned to her center to lick and nibble her clit a little bit longer. At least until she begged for him to stop. He pulled away, bringing a fair amount of her juices with him. His finger was sopping and strings of fluid hung from his chin. He licked his lips a few times before sliding his wet digits into his mouth and clearing away any stickiness before he peered up at her, watching her eyes and loving how clouded over they’d become. 

His cock was rock hard and Donnie was growing desperate for relief. He climbed up to the head of the bed so he was face to face with her again, fully intending to move forward and moments before he was about to crawl over her, she stopped him by pressing her hand to his chest and coaxing him into lying on his back. 

Confused by her actions, Don wanted to ask why she stopped him, but she silenced him by touching his lips. Then she flipped over onto her hands and knees and started a lengthy set of kisses on his plastron, beginning at the top and working her way down. 

Don’s nerves were almost shot and his breathing picked up. He was most certain he knew where this was going and he’d never experienced it or any act for that matter. What would she think of him when she saw him? His breath caught in his throat when she reached the top of his spandex and ran her palm along the material, rubbing the full length of his penis. Then her fingers hooked the elastic waistband and she gently pulled down, needing some help from him. He lifted his hips, making the task simpler and he closed his eyes, sheer terror overtaking him. She would see his fully erect length in seconds…

It felt like an eternity and Donnie finally felt brave enough to open his eyes. He was greeted with Bethany’s small smile and her hand settled at the base of his cock. Before he could say anything, he saw her tongue slide from between her lips and lay a wet kiss on the shaft. Her other hand was resting comfortably on his inner thigh, gently massaging until it slathered to his testicles and she cupped them, using her thumb to gently rub the fleshy sack. He let out the breath he was holding and became fully entranced in her affections towards his genitals. She kissed and licked the long appendage while her hands toyed with his balls and slowly stroked the lower half of his cock. Her mouth worked its way up the length and he was steadily losing it. 

The head of his penis was highly sensitive and her lips were mere centimeters away. He swallowed hard when her tongue tickled the underside of the head and when her entire mouth surrounded it, he damn near fainted. The heat of her mouth circled around his head and took him in, sliding back downwards until he felt the tip of his cock touch the back of her throat. 

It couldn’t be helped. Don was like a child who was surrounded by every type of toy or candy in the world…or in his case, every form of technology known to man that he could take apart and rebuild. His thoughts were jumbled and his loins were on fire. Her experienced tongue was tormenting him, making him feel utmost pleasure. He was tempted to shut his eyes again, but he wanted to watch her work his cock. Not looking away again, he admired how her hands and lips synched up. Then she started bobbing up and down and he was in heaven. 

“Oh…fuck…” he murmured and placed his palm on the base of her neck. It took all of his patience to keep himself from grabbing her and throwing her down to penetrate. If this is what a blowjob felt like, then he could only imagine how good it was to have real sex. Without really knowing why, his hips started to move, pushing his length upwards and helping her as she pleased him orally. Those hands of hers slowly moved towards the bottom of his plastron and gently caressed the skin next to the hard shell. “Beth…I can’t…I won’t last long…i-if you keep this up…” This was causing him to stumble through his sentences. “Please, let me…” 

She gave him a finally stroke by slowly rising up, dragging her tongue along the underside of his full length. When he was removed from her mouth completely, she complimented him. “You’re so long. I don’t think you’ll fit entirely…” 

It was true, he had a great deal of length compared to a human. At least a good 15-16 inches at full mast. Donnie’s cheeks flushed and he scratched his head with embarrassment. Then there was an awkward pause between them. Bethany sat on the bed, looking a little shy and she toyed with her hair while he pulled himself upright and resting on his hands. They were both hot and flustered, but unsure of their next move. Finally Don touched her shoulder, getting her attention again. 

“Are you sure? Because I won’t be upset if you change your mind. I’m very patient…” he said. However, his instincts were not as patient as he said they were and he was praying that she wouldn’t decide against it at this point. He watched her carefully, looking for any disapproving body language, but she remained still and her eyes would glance around nervously. He couldn’t blame her for being frightened. The last time she had sex, it was very traumatic. That must be flowing through her mind right now. To try and keep her calm, he scooted closer to her and simply draped an arm around her while gently kissing her temple. Before he got another word in, she leaned forward and rolled onto her back, legs together and knees bent. 

She touched his fingers and tugged them gently, signaling that she wanted him to join her. Without hesitation, Don crawled to her side and rested on his elbow, his erection pressing against her outer thigh and twitching every now and again with anticipation. She reached out for him, capturing his shoulders in her embrace and bringing him down so she could plant another kiss on his lips. His body maneuvered and covered hers almost entirely and they fit well together. 

“I’m sure…” she whispered between kisses and they separated just so they could gaze at the other. Without breaking eye contact, Bethany adjusted her legs, allowing them to open and allow him to settle between them. His massive length rested on her groin, pulsating and waiting to penetrate. 

A burst of heat released from her when his hips joined hers and it was getting impossible for him to hold back. He reached between their bodies and gripped himself, pointing the tip at her opening and letting the head touch her exterior, but he hesitated again, wanting one last answer from her…

“Do you accept me?” he asked and gave her his undivided attention.

She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, her eyes never leaving his. Barely audible, she responded, “Yes…” 

Without showing his extreme elation, Donnie pushed his head into the molten heat of her body and kept the initial thrust as slow as possible. Every centimeter he traveled, more and more heat enveloped him and he watched her face for discomfort. Eventually his cock came to a halt when he felt the back wall of her vagina. Taking in the new feeling, Donnie released a breath and checked on her again. Her eyes were partially squinting and mouth slightly opened. She was taking deeper breaths. “Are you okay?” he asked, worried he might have overdone it. 

“Just very full…” she said softly. 

“Do you want me to pull out?” 

“No. Just go slow for now.” 

He nodded and started with a very gentle pace. The first thrust relinquished him of his virginity and now he felt entirely like a new person. One capable of giving love in every way, shape, or form. 

Bethany had cringed a bit when he entered her. The stretching was overwhelming, but not painful like when Raph had been with her. She was fully prepared this time and not only that, she was probably as nervous as he was because he was the virgin, not her. He felt like he was going to break her and she had a tiny bit of pressure to show him the ropes. That’s why she gave him the blowjob. Now he was taking charge and so far, he was caring and consistent with his tenderness. Eventually she gave him the okay to go faster and he upped the pace. He made her feel complete again. This is what she wanted during her first marriage…a relationship that extended beyond money and sex. A real meaningful relationship where the couple actually established a real connection. She found it in a mutant and did not regret it. 

Don was pushing deeply, loving every ridge his cock encountered. Her insides felt like silky pillows, warm and moist; a glove that fit perfectly around him. “This feels so good…” he mumbled and tightened his grip on her shoulders. His rear muscles worked harder to thrust into her and increase the pressure. 

She was now taking deeper breaths and emitting a series of gasps and moans. Speaking was getting harder and she could feel the beginnings of her orgasm started to build. “G-go faster…” 

He responded by moving quicker. His hands let up on her shoulders and pushed down into the mattress so he could hover over her without squishing her. This also gave him a nice view of her tits as they bounced with every thrust. Sometimes he would lean over and kiss the swollen nipples before sending his tongue all over her neck. 

Eventually he switched their position and lie down on his side behind her, tugging her body closer so her back fit nicely against his chest. He hooked his arm under her knee and lifted it so his length would slide inside of her once again. She automatically kept her leg up for him so his fingers could trail down to her clitoris and start rubbing it. The change of position brought on different sensations. Donnie balanced himself on one elbow so he could still see her face as she turned her torso slightly towards him. Their temples touched and cheeks were lined up, gazes locked on each other. 

She reached one arm up and over to place behind his head. The position was so romantic it was making her crazy. His fingers played with her folds and pressed harder on her clit and she was certain she wouldn’t last much longer, but decided she wanted to give him a chance to lie on the bottom. “Lie down,” she said and waited for him to pull out. When she felt his length leave her body, she had him lay in the center of his bed and climbed up into his lap. She steadied herself as she guided his member back inside. Immediately she put her hands on his shoulders and put her legs to use by bouncing up and down in his lap. 

His hands flew to her hips to assist her with the pacing and now he could see her entire body and his eyes wandered down to their joined pelvises. His cock disappeared and reappeared within her and the sight of their sex itself was pushing him closer to the end. Not able to keep his noise at bay, Donnie started grunting and moaning as the orgasm neared. His enthusiasm to cum caused him to pull himself up against the headboard and harshly grabbed her waist to pound harder. She was clinging tightly to his shoulders now and he could hear the change in her breathing pattern, suggesting to him that she may be close too. 

Her limbs quivered and she was incapable of making coherent sentences. Sweat trickled down her chest and her body was ridiculously hot. 

Donnie kissed her collarbones, tasting the saltiness of her flesh. Like her, sweat poured down his forehead and neck, but he kept up the thrusts from beneath her. Her body was starting to fall into a frenzied state and he was most certain she was about to blow. When her voice raised and she cried out, he was sure of it. She screamed loudly and begged for him to ‘just keep fucking her’ while his own body made the demand to finish as well. 

“Oh g-god…oh fuck, oh my god…” she said mid-orgasm and her arms wrapped even tighter around him until the calm finally took over her. 

When she started to settle down, Don realized that her pleas and physical reaction had an effect on him and he suddenly felt the rushing of cum through his length. He growled and let out a deep sigh as he spilled his seed into her waiting body. For good measure, he thrust a few more times and eventually came to a halt. Letting his cock stay wedged inside her, he simply relaxed against the headboard and kept his arms around her waist so she was now laying against him. They remained joined together for a while, each getting used to the other’s touch. 

Bethany left a trail of fluttering kisses on his forehead while he smiled and lay back against the pillows. He was hot and sticky, but content. The huge release of endorphins was slowly putting him into a relaxed state and he knew within a few minutes he’d be asleep. His length slipped out of her on its own, but he did nothing to clean himself up. She easily rolled to his side and the pair pulled one of the sheets up, giving them some sort of cover in case a brother decided to wake them up in the morning. 

They could only stare at each other until they passed out, both very satisfied and welcoming their new status as lovers.


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Late for practice

It was fairly early in the morning and Leonardo had gone straight to the dojo after brushing his teeth and straightening up his room. After his brothers had returned from the incident at the compound, they barely had a chance to practice or spar. He sat in the middle of the tatami mats, sharpening his swords and cleaning them of any debris and scuffs. When he was satisfied with their end result, he slid his swords into their sheaths on his back and he put away his polish. It was time to retrieve his brothers for their first training session together in weeks. Leaving the dojo, Leo found Mikey in the kitchen, having breakfast. 

“Don’t eat a lot. We have training this morning,” Leo said. 

Mikey pouted but nodded and he ended up tossing the remainder of his eggs and toast. The last time he overate before training, he yacked all over the dojo. Leo then moved to collect Raphael in his room. His normally angry brother appeared to be solemn this morning and he was awake already. Leo would almost always have to wake him, which typically earned him a lot of scorn during practice. For once, he embraced having a hard session and Raphael silently followed, which dampened Leo’s expectations of a long and tough battle. After the training, Leo planned to ask what was wrong with his brother. 

Typically Donnie would arrive at the dojo on his own since he was the most reliable, but the three turtles waited…and waited…and waited….

Nearly thirty minutes had gone by and Don failed to appear in the dojo, making Leo antsy and irritated. He peered at Raph and Mikey, who simply shrugged at one another.

“Maybe he’s sick?” Mikey said. 

“He was fine last night. No mention of anything…” Leo said. 

“Could be a stomach bug,” Raph added. 

“I’ll go check on him.” Leo then left his two brothers behind as he headed to the lab. To his surprise, he did not find an ill Donatello or a brother that was working on a project. The lab was empty and the only place left was Don’s bedroom. It was strange because Donnie almost never spent any time in his room and nearly slept in his lab every night. Oh well. He marched towards his brother’s room and waited outside the door, listening to hear if his brother was awake. He heard minor sounds and metal occasionally crackling. Sounded like Don got caught up in another project and forgot they had practice this morning. Leo groaned in frustration and gently knocked on the door, but the small noises continued. After a couple more knocks, Leo gave up and decided to just open the door. He took the knob and turned it, gently pushing it forward and his eyes were greeted with quite a sight…

Leo’s jaw nearly dropped when he witnessed Donnie pumping and grinding his hips into a very receptive Bethany, who was swimming in a pool of ecstasy. Her fingers were digging into Don’s shoulders and her lips were attached to his throat. His face reddened when he accidentally caught a view of Don’s penis penetrating her. Immediately, Leo shut the door and spun around, shell against the wall and his heart rate shooting through the roof. He just witnessed one of his brothers making love to…Bethany. Not that he didn’t expect it to happen eventually, but so soon? She looked pretty happy and he did tell her to take action if she developed feelings for Donnie. For a moment, Leo needed to catch his breath and rid himself of his embarrassment, but he quickly returned to the dojo where his other brothers were already sparring together. Still shaken from what he witnessed, Leo took a seat on the edge of the tatami and watched the other two battle each other. 

Almost another thirty minutes passed and Raph and Mikey had finished up sparring. Both were pretty beat, but they each offered to fight Leo, who had not moved from his spot since returning. 

“C’mon, Leo…” Mikey urged. 

“Yeah, bro. Ya gotta get ya round in,” Raph said. 

Leo contemplated fighting them, but he knew that Donnie needed his session still. “No, you guys go ahead and wash up. I’m gonna wait for Don and I’ll train with him.” 

Raph simply nodded and he and Mikey took their leave. Leo calmly awaited his last brother’s arrival, which came fifteen minutes later. 

Donnie finally arrived looking a little disheveled, but dressed in a pair of workout pants and a single belt. He retrieved a staff from the wall and approached Leo. “Where’s…?”

“They’re done for the day. You’re very late for practice,” Leo said sternly, yet he climbed to his feet and retrieved his swords. 

“Sorry.”

“This isn’t going to become a regular thing with you is it? Usually it’s Raph who’s late every morning.” 

“No, it won’t. I was just…distracted this morning.” 

One of Leo’s eyebrows raised. “Oh really? Distracted by what?” 

Don swallowed. “Uh…was distracted by…a new… uh, project.” 

“Hm, well this new project will have to wait until after our practice in the morning. I don’t want you an hour late every morning. And to make sure it doesn’t happen again, you have 20 laps around the dojo and 100 pushups to complete. This way you don’t allow your distraction to cause you a loss of focus.” 

Donnie’s shoulders hunched, “Awe….man.” 

Leo smirked and he started his own katas while Don started his punishment. After his brother finished the exercises, Leo started out their sparring with a swift swing of his swords to which Don countered with his metal staff and blocked the attack. They battled it out for ten minutes, Leo mostly winning and Donnie appearing more distracted than ever.

“You’re not yourself this morning,” Leo commented, somewhat disappointed that Don was letting a female prevent him from fighting well. “You wanna tell me what’s really going on? You’ve never fought so poorly, unless your injuries are still bothering you.” He watched as his brother’s face turned white. 

“No, my leg’s fine now. I’m nearly healed.” Don lowered his weapon, signaling that he didn’t plan to attack. 

Leo also lowered his weapons. “C’mon bro, what’s up? What project are you possibly doing that’s bothering you so much?” 

Don frowned. “I kinda lied about that. Nothing new to work on. I’m just dealing with a lot of emotions right now.”

“What kind? Like, related to Bethany?” 

That caught Don’s attention and Leo watched as his younger brother’s cheeks started to flush and he was trying his best to remain stoic. It was typical for Donnie to get quieter when he had been found out. “Uh…perhaps.”

“Well, I’m assuming by how silent you are on the topic, I hit the nail on the head. So, you like her…that’s obvious and I know for a fact that she likes you.”

“How do you know that?”

“I approached her about the matter a few days ago. She’s probably more conflicted than you are.”

Don nodded. “That’s for sure, but we’ve worked through our problem and everything’s peachy now,” he lied. 

Leo chuckled. “Peachy. Never thought I’d hear you say that.” 

“Yes, well I’ve probably said more things than I normally wouldn’t in the last few weeks. So, what did Bethany say anyways?”

“She was afraid of moving too fast into a relationship and thought moving into the other lair with the girls was the right choice to prevent heartbreak. However, by doing that she worried about how you’d feel and I encouraged her to approach you about it. Seems she did because you look pretty content this morning, albeit a little disheveled. Not like you to be sloppy looking in the morning.” 

Don scratched the back of his head and laughed nervously. “Yeah, I uh…”

“So when did Bethany arrive?” 

That caught Donnie off guard and he swallowed hard. “Hm, last night. Late.” 

“This isn’t going to become a regular habit I hope, you being late every morning…”   
Donnie shook his head. “It was a one time thing, promise,” he replied quickly and clumsily dropped his bo. 

“You’re falling apart. Did something happen last night? Please tell me you two didn’t argue and you’re trying to cover it up.”

“Erm…Leo, I’m just really distracted. I…I…just feel a bit guilty I guess.” 

“Why?” Leo sheathed his swords and took a seat on the tatami. His brother followed suit. “Talk to me. I promise I’ll keep this in confidence.” 

Don cleared his throat and thought about how he was going to say this. It was best to just come and say it rather than beat around the bush. With reddening cheeks Don finally admitted, “I slept with her last night and I feel like I might have pushed her into it.” 

“Did she consent to it?”

“Well, yes.” 

“Then what are you worried about? If she agreed to sex, then you’re in the clear.”

Don frowned. “I mean, she agreed, but only after I kind of pushed her into making up her mind about me. I’m starting to wonder if I was just being too sensitive. I guess at my age, I’m more in a rush for companionship than I thought. 

“You can’t blame yourself for that. In a way, we all want companionship. I mean, look at what happened to Raph. I know he’s looking for a partner. Bethany’s proof enough of that. He just went about it wrong and didn’t ask. You did. You’re a patient man and I’m sure she appreciates it.”

“But don’t you think it’s too soon? It’s only been a few months since she met us.” Donnie rubbed his forearms nervously. 

Leo sighed. “Donnie, she came to you, right?” His brother nodded and Leo continued, “Okay and she approached you, so I assume you questioned her why she did.”

“Yeah.”

“And then you wanted to know how she felt about you?” Leo watched as his brother shifted uncomfortably. “Did you want to end this conversation?”

Donnie shook his head. “I did wanna know. I couldn’t take having her keep coming to me and just, uh just…”

“Tease you?” 

“She wasn’t doing it on purpose. Back at the compound, I only thought she was redirecting her emotions, but she was the one who initiated that kiss and after that, I’ve gotten mixed signals. When we were lying together on the cot and when I helped her move to the new lair. Last night, I was very close to just letting her go and then that happened. Now I don’t think I could let her go even if I wanted to. Leo, did I truly screw this up? What is Raph going to think?”

“Raph’s not gonna care and it doesn’t matter even if he did. Bethany likes you and she proved it to you last night. I believe you’re overthinking this much in the same way you overthink about your projects. You’re in love and it doesn’t require much thinking.”

“I guess so. I’ll just have to learn to trust my instincts.”

Leo smiled. “That’s the idea. So, why don’t we just get in a quick session and then you can get back to your lady. If anything, why don’t you invite her down to train with us. After everything she went through, she needs to learn to protect herself. In fact, all the girls should learn. I’ll stop by the other lair today and extend the invitation.”

“I’ll run it by her. It’s definitely a good idea.” Don then picked up his bo, content now that he had this chat and prepared to spar.

Thirty minutes went by quickly and Leo turned Donnie loose from practice. So he rushed back up to his room and found Bethany asleep and curled up in the comforter. He sat down on the edge of the bed and ran his fingers through her hair, causing her to stir. 

“Mmh…morning, again…” she said groggily. 

“Hey. You hungry?” he asked softly.

“A little. Could use some coffee.” She sat up, letting the blanket fall off her. “The others don’t know I’m here, do they?”

“Leo does. He’s pretty vigilant. C’mon, let’s go have breakfast, a shower, and we’ll talk some more.” 

“Can I borrow some clothes? I only have my nightgown and a sweater coat and I’d prefer to have more than those thin garments.”

“Might be a little baggy for you, but sure.” 

_________________________________________________________

Raphael kicked another chunk of debris out of his way. He was so angry today and not entirely sure why. When he finished practice and cleaned up, he returned to the kitchen to find Donatello and Bethany there. Leo and Mikey were seated at the table having a meal together and he was stuck waiting for Don to finish making up a pile of pancakes. Bethany was standing at the edge of the counter near him and Raph was forced to watch the two subtly flirting with each other. It was the last straw for him when he spotted Bethany’s tail playfully skitter up Don’s inner thigh. 

Skipping breakfast entirely, Raph silently left the lair and went out into the sewers to break some things. He couldn’t understand why he was feeling so much resentment towards his brother. He grumbled as he passed through the sewer, not really thinking about where he was going and found a place deep in the sewer system where he figured nobody would look. Of course…he wasn’t the only person who discovered this empty portion of the sewers and Raph spotted a figure sitting at the end of a tunnel. He drew his weapons and stealthily moved closer to investigate, at least until the figure spoke.

“I know you’re there. I can sense you.”

Raph immediately recognized it to be Sophia and he stashed his sais in his belt again and walked forward. She was twirling around a small knife and sticking a piece of wood with it. “Whaddya doin’ here by yourself?”

“I wanted to be alone. That such a bad thing?” she asked, annoyed.

“Whatever,” Raph said and he started to turn and head in another direction, but she stopped him.

“Why did ya help me?” 

“What?” 

“Back in the compound when those guys were tryin’ to rape me, you damn near killed them. I used to be your enemy and you still saved me.” 

“Because ya didn’t deserve it.”

She dropped the wood. “Didn’t deserve to be saved?!”

Raph corrected her, “Didn’t deserve to be raped.”

“Nobody deserves to be raped…” she retorted.

Raph frowned. “True.”

“So you did rape Bethany, didn’t you? Why did you do that?” Sophia turned slightly to look at Raph.

“I wasn’t in my…I was just…I don’t know.” 

“You don’t know how it messes with women.” 

“I have a good idea ‘bout that now. I went through extreme and much deserved punishment for what I did. It felt incredibly good when she finally forgave me. I’ll never do somethin’ like that again. It cost me too much. My sanity. My honor. Almost cost me my brother’s trust.”

“I see. Ya got problems. I got problems too,” she said, almost in a whisper.

“Which also makes me wonder. Why ain’t ya scared of me?” Raph questioned. He figured someone like her would be terrified of a man like him. One who raped in the past.

She curled up her legs and put her knife away in its sheath. “Cuz you don’t look like the type who would rape, to be honest. Even though ya did, you’re too honorable in appearance. I’m takin’ a wild guess here, but ya did it because you were desperate. Is that right?”

“I ain’t desperate,” Raph growled.

“Well I don’t exactly picture ya gettin’ laid often as a mutant. In fact, I’ll probably never get laid properly again either. Not that I have to begin with. This body makes it impossible now.”

“Bullshit! I can get laid again! So can you! Just gotta find someone with an open mind.”

“How many humans you met with open minds?” 

Raph groaned but admitted, “Not many.” 

“Ya see? Humans are shit anyways…I would know, I used to be a shitty one.” 

“Whaddya gonna dwell in ya self-pity? Buck up!” Raph barked at her. 

“Ya know, ya didn’t have to start talkin’ to me if ya weren’t interested in hearin’ me bitch about life!” She pulled herself to her feet angrily and got in Raph’s face. “I was doin’ just fine before I met all ya…”

“Fuck that! You were runnin’ for ya life! Those soldiers would have blasted ya before you got out of that hell hole!” Raph growled right back and he stood tall, making himself look a hell of a lot larger just to intimidate her. 

“I managed two days before they found me! I don’t need you’re help or ya pity!”

Raph smirked. “I ain’t givin’ ya pity. So shut the fuck up. Forget about the past for a second. Now that I got ya here, Leo wants to invite ya to the lair every other mornin’ for training with the other girls. You wanna learn to fight with or without weapons? Come and learn. Training’s at seven a.m. See ya tomorrow if ya interested. With that, Raph turned heel and headed back towards the lair, snickering and smiling a bit. She was very spunky and had very little fear. He kind of liked it and wondered how she’d fair in a sparring match against him or Leo. She might turn out to be a good ninja if she agreed to come along. 

Sophia grumbled to herself and marched back towards her lair, wondering if the other girls were actually going to go to those lessons or whatever. She kicked a few cans as she walked through the sewer, pretending they were Raphael’s head. “What an asshole…”

On his way back to the lair, Raphael threw his sai at pipes and yanked it back out in order to throw it at something else and punch as many holes as he could. “What a bitch…” he muttered and thought about what a girl like that could possibly learn from a few ninjutsu lessons. She was ridiculously stubborn. Upon reaching the lair, Raph trudged past Mikey, who was playing around on his laptop. There was no sig of Leo and he figured the fearless leader would be hiding in the dojo. There was a pretty good chance Donnie was in his lab with Bethany and so Raph planned to stay far away from there. Instead he went upstairs and to his room where he would have peace and quiet. No girls or brothers around to piss him off…


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sophia hits a wall...

Under Wraps Ch. 22

 

The following morning was incredibly difficult and while the ladies showed up, except for Sophia, Alexander wouldn’t allow Julie to put him down. He would cry every time she tried and Leo decided it was best to let her off before the practice could begin. She decided to relax in the turtles lair and feed the baby. Audrey and Bethany were seated in the middle of the dojo, surrounded by the turtles, Leo in front of course. He felt it was necessary to test the girls in terms of strength, cooperation, flexibility, and concentration. So today he gave the girls a series of obstacles to overcome. Bethany excelled in flexibility, concentration, and cooperation, thanks to her history of working in a career with numbers and a background in ballet when she was young. Audrey was able to lift the most weight and Leo found that she had a calm temperament, which would allow her good meditation skills. 

About halfway through the training session, the sliding door to the dojo was forced open and in came a very irritated and disheveled-looking Sophia. 

Leo growled and his brow furrowed with annoyance. “You’re very late,” he grumbled and approached her. When he drew near, he saw that she was off balance and stumbling over her own feet. Then he saw the bottle dangling from her hand. “You’re drunk! How dare you dishonor my dojo by appearing in such a state!” 

“So that’s what happened to my booze,” Raph interjected. 

Sophia threw the bottle and it smashed against the wall, further pissing off Leo. 

The angry turtle marched across the tatami, intending to lecture and force her out of the lair, but Donnie interfered. 

“Leo, she’s been through a great deal! It’s not an easy adjustment to suddenly be forced to live underground!” Donnie insisted. 

“It doesn’t matter, Don! We’ve done everything that was expected of us to help these girls have a normal life again and I don’t need this woman’s emotional outbursts as another burden!” Leo shouted. He was tempted to teach her a lesson in respect, but since Sophia was inebriated, he simply brushed her off and slowly turned about to continue the lesson.

Even though Sophia was stumbling around a bit, she definitely didn’t like Leo’s tone of voice and immediately she reached for a weapon on the wall and threw it at him. 

Sensing an attack, Leo quickly drew a sword and deflected the weapon. He was not amused. “All right, missy. Now you’re asking for it,” he muttered. 

“Sophia, you’re making a mistake!” Don said and took one of her arms, trying to prevent her from angering Leo further. 

Audrey and Bethany backed themselves against a wall, sensing that a fight was about to break loose. Raph was beaming. He found Sophia’s behavior ridiculous, but if it pissed off Leo, he took pleasure in it. He crossed his arms and waited to see what would happen.   
Sophia shook off Donnie’s hands and immediately reached for another weapon, but the turtle tried to wrench it from her grasp. 

“Leave her be, Don,” Leo said sternly. 

“She’s in no state to fight! There’s also no honor in fighting someone who’s incapacitated!” 

“The moment she set foot in the dojo like this and attacked me with my back turned, is the moment she cast aside all forms of etiquette.” Leo then removed both of his weapons and simply tossed them aside, allowing Michelangelo to catch them with ease. “Step aside Donnie. She needs to be taught that respect is gained after you give it.” 

“But Leo,” Don insisted.

“Move,” Leo demanded. He knew that there was no honor in fighting a person under the influence, much less a woman under the influence, but he was determined to make a point that he was no doormat for her to trample on. He would defend himself if she decided to attack, but only defend. He wouldn’t throw a single strike.

Don sighed and stepped out of his brother’s way, joining Bethany at the corner of the dojo and sitting on the mat. All except for Raph were comfortably seated and watching as the leader dealt with an insubordinate. 

Bethany brushed her arm against her lover’s and leaned in to whisper, “Leo won’t really hurt her, will he?”

A moment barely passed before Don replied with, “I don’t think so. He’s angry, but regardless of what he says, he’d never harm a woman that can’t defend herself. At least not on purpose.”

She released a deep breath and watched as Sophia slowly reached for another weapon on the wall, a knife, and winged it at Leo. The leader simply caught the blade and dropped it aside. 

“You’re sloppy. I remember you having more skill at the compound,” Leo taunted. 

Raph watched as Sophia ripped more weapons down and held in his chuckles. She was nuts if she really believed she could win in such a state. Still, he gave her props for being ballsy enough to take on Leo. 

Annoyed with Leo’s comments and easy deflection of the knives, Sophia rushed the leader with a small sword in hand and swung it at him. She found her hands being cupped harshly between his strong palms and forced upwards. His foot slipped around hers and he easily tripped her, which forced her to let go of the blade. Her angered was building with every move he made and once she was put on the floor for the fifth time, she froze, too upset and overwhelmed to get up. 

“Stay down,” Leo commanded and stepped away, intending to leave her in the middle of the floor with her humiliation. The moment he turned around, he heard a rattling sound and immediately turned to see Sophia standing up, her tail curled around her legs and her mouth open. A foamy substance was leaking from her mouth along with a an amber colored fluid. Her eyes had rolled back into her head, making her almost terrifying. “Donnie, what’s wrong with her?” Leo asked, suddenly concerned. 

Don leapt to his feet and cautiously approached her, inspecting her. She appeared to be in a state of delirium and the substance in her mouth was dripping to the tatami mats. “She’s having an alcohol induced seizure!” Immediately he took her by the shoulders and lay her down on the mats with Leo rushing to her side. Shortly after, she was having some labored breathing.

“We gotta get her into the lab,” Leo said and he turned to look at Raph. “How many bottles are missing from your cabinet?” 

“Two bottles of liquor and they were full,” Raph replied, rushing to help pick up Sophia. 

“Careful of that liquid on the floor. I think it’s toxic,” Don warned as Raph claimed the inebriated woman. 

Everyone in the dojo poured out into the lair, Donnie leading the way towards the lab and Raph quickly carried the very sick woman inside. 

“I need to intubate her immediately!” Don shouted as he collected a number of instruments, including an intravenous line and a lot of towels to wipe away that stuff on her mouth. 

Raph put Sophia on a cot and watched as Don put on two pairs of gloves and started wiping away the foam around her lips. Her body convulsed and her limbs were shaking. Her eyes were still rolling around in her sockets. 

Donnie threw away the soiled towels and readied a long tube. “Raph hold her shoulders. Mikey or Leo, steady her head, keep it straight.”

Michelangelo stepped up to the cot and pressed his palms on her skull firmly and watched as Donnie pressed the tube to her mouth and started sliding it down her throat, carefully placing it through the trachea. He had to adjust his goggles a few times to see down into her throat, just barely managing. It slid down inside and he inflated the cuff before attaching the tube to the anesthetic machine and immediately oxygen flowed into her lungs in the off chance she stopped breathing on her own. The alcohol needed to work its way out of her system on its own. After situating her on the cot and with the machine, Donnie put her on fluids for hydration and covered her with a blanket, keeping her head tipped to the side in case she vomited. 

Leo was fuming, but kept his anger to himself. This woman was a complete mess and a disgrace. She had no business coming into his home in such a state. He marched out of the lab, intending to go meditate on the issue, which meant the lesson was over.

Raph had stayed behind in the lab, watching Sophia carefully and waiting for everyone else to clear out, save for Donnie and Bethany. He knew that his brother would be a good caregiver and it was likely that Beth would help. He stayed late into the day, only leaving to fetch something to drink or eat and use the bathroom. He barely talked to the others, except for the occasional question from Don and Bethany. 

Sophia showed signs of improvement six hours later after throwing up twice while she was unconscious, to which Donnie had to keep her on her side and clear out her mouth. After she managed to remain stable for more than two hours, Don was comfortable enough to leave Raph alone with her while he went to have dinner with Bethany. 

Raph sat by Sophia’s bedside, spinning a sai in his hand and watching her chest rise and fall. Her breathing had evened out a while ago and he had the opportunity to get a good look at her. Donnie probably knew already, but Raph guessed that she was spliced with a rattlesnake.

Several more hours passed and his brothers, save for Leo, and Bethany came to the lab to check on Sophia. The other girls and the baby had gone home for the night, leaving the lair fairly quiet. Raph was slowly dozing off when he heard Sophia sigh and rustle the bedsheets as she came to. His attention fell on her and he put away his weapon, which almost slipped out of his hand. She damn near panicked when she discovered a tube protruding from her mouth and panicked. 

Raph flew out of his chair and took her hands, holding them firmly down to her sides. “Easy, easy! It’s just a breathin’ tube. Donnie put it in ya when ya struggled to get a good breath. We didn’t need ya suffocatin’ to death.”

She seemed to calm down slightly and her eyes flew around the room, confused.

“You’re in the lab. We put ya here after ya stunt in the dojo,” Raph explained and finally let go of her hands. 

She looked up at him questioningly, unable to speak due to her vocal cords being partially blocked.

“Ya got shit faced real bad. Yacked all over and damn near died of alcohol poisoning. Donnie saved your ass and Leo’s pissed off at ya.”

Sophia rolled onto her side slightly and hiccuped, looking seriously humiliated and ready to cry, but she toughed it out. Shortly thereafter, she grew angry and sat up in the bed. 

“Hey, lay down! Ya gonna hurt yourself again!” Raph demanded and he jumped to his feet to take her by the shoulders and attempt to put her back against the pillows. She was stubborn as hell and pushed his hands away. Moments later she reached for the tube in her mouth and yanked it. “Whaddya doin’?! Don’t take that-“

Sophia managed to pull the tube more than halfway out before Raph could prevent it. 

“Stop!” he demanded and took her hands again. “Ya need that!”

She shook her head furiously and grunted at him with extreme irritation and desperation. 

The commotion had gotten the attention of Donatello, who had come rushing through the lab doors, only wearing boxer shorts and looking very tired. He took one look at Sophia and rushed over to help. “What happened?”

“Panicked when she saw the tube,” Raph replied and held tightly to her limbs while Donnie quickly checked over Sophia’s vitals.

“Should have given her a bit of sedative.”

The word ‘sedative’ only angered her more and she struggled harder, but she was weighed down by two turtles and for the first time since her youth, genuinely became frightened. 

“Relax, relax! I’m not going to give you the sedative,” Don explained as he ran a flashlight over her eyes and checked her fluid intake. “In fact, you’re making good progress already. I’m gonna remove the rest of the tube.” This seemed to calm her down a bit and she stopped trying to fight them. He slipped the tube out of her mouth and she immediately began coughing. 

She gagged slightly, but managed to swallow. However, her throat was incredibly dry. “Wa…wat-“ she muttered.

“Water?” Donnie asked, to which she nodded profusely. He easily got a cup for her from the water tank by his desk and she downed it like there was no tomorrow. “Feel better?” 

“Yeah,” she whispered, voice still incredibly weak. 

“Do you remember anything that happened?” Don asked, rolling up a chair and seating himself. He watched as some color returned to her face and she cleared her throat several times before speaking.

“Drink,” she said.

“You have one. Would you like more?” 

She shook her head.

“I think she meant the booze,” Raph added. 

“Yes. That’s my next guess. Well then, Sophia, I think it would be best to stay away from any alcoholic beverages. Your body needs to recover and not only that, but your body may not be able to tolerate it in its new form, at least not for a while. An adjustment period is needed after a recent mutation and it is quite a shock for you. Please refrain from consuming anything other than water and juice for a while. You also need plenty of rest and tomorrow when you’ve had a chance to sleep and recover, I’d like to give you a vitamin boost. I have no major concerns with you at this point except to keep you hydrated. You can sleep comfortably for the remainder of the night without assistance. Raph, you can go to bed too if you’re tired.” 

“Thanks, I’ll…I’ll stay put,” Raph replied calmly, which completely threw Donnie off guard. 

“All right. If you intend to stay, make sure she finishes that water and if she panics again, get me. 

“Whatever.” 

Donnie then left the lab, confident that Sophia was fine now. He intended to go back to his room where Bethany was probably awake and waiting for him. She was rudely awakened by the noise as well. As he silently walked through the living room, he heard Michelangelo coming out of the bathroom and in passing he greeted Donnie. 

“Hey bro.” 

“You’re up late, Mikey.” 

Mikey shrugged. “Can’t sleep. Not after hearing that girl screech. Leo’s up too and boy is he pissed off.” 

“I’ll talk with Leo in the morning. Sophia is doing better and he just needs to understand that she’s suffering.” Donnie yawned and took the first step on the stairs. 

“Leo’s probably not gonna sleep much tonight and might go crazy on us at practice tomorrow.”

“Great…”

“Why not let me talk to him?” Mikey asked.

“You? I somehow doubt he’ll-

“Leo will hear me out. I’ll make him,” Mikey insisted. 

Donnie ascended the stairwell, almost to the top. “You can try, but Leo is a bit stubborn these days.” 

“I got this, bro. Go to bed. Ya woman’s waitin’ for ya.” 

The comment made Donnie blush and he swallowed hard before turning heel and going back to his room for the night. Mikey grinned and headed for the dojo. Leo would likely be meditating in there and was probably struggling to concentrate. It would be very unlike his brother to accept a distraction into his training time. Mikey approached the sliding door and gently slid it open. As expected, Leo was seated in the center of the room, legs crossed and hands on his knees. Silently, Mikey crossed the tatami and took a seat before his brother.

“Leo,” Mikey said softly. 

“Yes?” Leo replied, not moving or flinching. 

“We should talk, bro. You’ve been very un-Leo-like.”

That comment made Leo chuckle a bit. “How so?” he asked calmly, eyes cracking open finally. 

Mikey sighed. “It’s the way ya been broodin’ and snappin’ at Sophia. I don’t know. Do ya hate her?”

Leo frowned. “It’s complicated, Mikey. Sophia’s a problem. We can’t trust her. She used to work for the enemy and she has abused her privileges here. She’s hard to control and she was completely reckless yesterday. I don’t want to train her or her fowl temper.”

“Raph has a fowl temper.”

“Raph has more control than she does. She grew up without morals.” 

“She can learn morals and control.” 

“She is not an ideal student, Mikey!” 

“You haven’t even given her a chance, bro!” 

“The answer’s no,” Leo said sternly and he stood up, intending to leave the dojo and Mikey with his final decision, but the younger brother stopped him.

“Leo,” Mikey began as he flew to his feet and jogged towards the door, blocking Leo from leaving. “You can’t give up on her so easily! She’s been through hell!” 

“She’s old enough to worry about herself. After she’s recovered, I’m sending her on her way. She’s too unpredictable to be staying with the other girls!” Leo then took Mikey’s shoulder and pushed him aside, but the younger ninja would not give up. 

“Sophia was raped as a child!” Mikey shouted, finally catching Leo’s attention. “It went on for years until her mother cast her out, accusing Sophia of lying! She was only a child and sent on the streets to fend for herself! Of course she isn’t going to have morals. Leo, we can’t send her back out there! We’d be no different than her mother! We can’t give up on her. Now’s our chance to help someone who’s so damaged from her past, that she can’t understand compassion. Ya know, bro? Raph committed an atrocious crime, but ya didn’t give up on him at all because he grew up with good morals and you knew he could change. Sophia committed crimes working for Stockman under extreme conditions and she hasn’t done a thing to harm us or the other girls, no morals guiding her.”

“Raph is different.”

“How are they different? Only difference I see is that they learned their past discretions were wrong at different times and they had to work hard to resolve it in different ways. Give her a chance, Leo. Besides, haven’t ya noticed the amount of time Raph’s been spending with her? He might be a good influence.” 

Leo scratched his chin and sighed. “Fine. Only because you are insisting, but if she does anything to jeopardize this family, she’s gone.”

Mikey smiled and patted Leo on the shoulder. “Thanks, bro. I’m sure she’ll come around and be a good student.” 

“She needs to get her bad habits under control before I start training her,” Leo said sternly. 

“I’ll tell Raph. He’s the only one that seems to be able to reach her right now.” Mikey then slid open the door and stepped out, with Leo close behind. 

“You know, Mikey? There are times when I’m very impressed with how wise you can be during periods of difficulty,” Leo said. 

“Thanks, bro. I try.” Mikey then disappeared into the lab, likely to talk with Raph about Leo’s new rules for Sophia. 

______________________________________________________

 

Upstairs, Bethany was busy cuddling with Donnie. She couldn’t get back to sleep after the commotion and since Don was already up, she figured he wouldn’t mind cozying up with her. Of course, cozying up meant kissing and kissing meant caressing, which led to fondling, which led to sex. The couple were embracing each other, Donnie pinning her hips down with his own and thrusting into her. Their joined bodies were hot and sweaty after going at it for a good twenty minutes. He would change up their positions, testing the waters to see what the other liked and so far he enjoyed the standard missionary position, doggy-style, cowgirl, and holding her up against a wall. There were many other positions to try, but they required a shower or a lot of flexibility and it was just damn late to try them all. 

“Oh, f-fuck…” she muttered, feeling his long length slide back into her body. “I’m g-getting close…”

Donnie held tightly to her waist and rose up a little bit so he could see the euphoria in her eyes and she smiled at him before letting her body take over. Her pupils were so big, they could be seen from space. She kept her voice down as best she could while her orgasm blazed through her belly. Her mouth fell open and she released a deep moan, fingers digging into his thighs and her back arching. 

He kept his pace up and listened to the pleasant sounds she made, which led him to following her in bliss. He grunted and spilled his seed into her body, loading it with warmth. “Oh…yeah,” he mumbled and leaned forward to claim her lips in a kiss. 

She relaxed and draped her arms around his shoulders. Without his length leaving her body, he rolled slowly to his side, her body following so they were still cuddling. They didn’t speak much, only about Sophia and Raph and the loud shouts coming from the dojo until they fell asleep in each others arms, bodies still connected and very content.


End file.
